Wolf's Rain: Markings
by Yoshikou
Summary: Shortly after the abduction of Cheza and Blue at Darcia's keep, the gang attempts to escape from the castle. However, little do they know that another wolf blessed by the moon has been kept prisoner in the keep for centuries. Will the gang find solace and comfort in the arrival of another packmate, or dread and despair in the past he keeps hidden? WORK IN PROGRESS Q Q
1. PrologueChapter 1:

**Summary**: Shortly after the abduction of Cheza and Blue at Darcia's keep, the gang attempts to escape from the castle. However, little do they know that another wolf has been kept prisoner in the keep for centuries. Will the gang find solace and comfort in the arrival of another packmate, or dread and despair in the past he keeps hidden?

**Author's Note**: This is my first fanfiction, it's kind of based on what would happen if this particular character was introduced to the original story at this time. This leads to changed future events. Inspired by Pinkdesi's Okami stories, please R&R, I've been having this story stuck to my head for a while. Added a few of my own elements, and sorry I haven't watched Wolf's Rain in a while so I don't really remember how the plot goes(Well I remember most of it, but not all ): ) I'm so shy, this was the first time I've ever published a story online. Please don't shoot me. Please.

**I don't own Wolf's Rain**

ON WITH THE STORY!

"Kiba!" a voice yelled from across the room. Kiba turns around and glances at the grey wolf who yelled his name. They were all running towards Jagara's troops as soon as they noticed that they had Cheza in their hands.

"What?" he asked as he dodged a falling piece of rubble. The whole castle was collapsing as a result of Jagura's siege.

"Do you smell that? It smells like.." Tsume's voice drifts off.

"Another wolf!" cries Toboe. His mouth widening in a smile.

Kiba glares at him, and Toboe looks at the ground. Cheza and Blue were just taken by Jagura's troops, and the Flower Maiden being their only hopes of reaching Paradise. How could the pup act so carefree and happy now? Kiba could not afford to stop now, especially for not a random stranger.

They scuttle into a corridor, and paused for a bit to catch their breath. A painful howl echoed through the building. It was from the unseen wolf; it was in pain. Just as Kiba was able to continue the chase, Tsume blocked his path with his body.

"Will you wait just a goddamn second? There's no use in chasing them! We can't outrun their machines, and if we chased them, we'll just end up being sniped at!" He shouted

"Move out of the way" Kiba growled at him, his snarl showing his fangs.

"Tsume's right" Toboe said as he stepped up to meet Kiba. "We need to regroup and think of a plan."

"They have her!" screamed Kiba. How could they not understand how vital Cheza was to their journey? "Do you know what this means? We're not going to be able to find Paradise at this rate. If you don't move out the way, I'm going to-"

"You goddamn idiot," snaps Tsume. He lungs towards Kiba and holds him down with his fangs to his neck. Kiba was already weakened from their fight with Darcia but he still continued to struggle against the stronger grey wolf. After a moment of struggling, he went limp as a display of submission.

Tsume steps back.

"What was the point?" Kiba asks and Tsume,Hige and Toboe could tell his voice cracking with emotions running through them. "Of us coming here?"

He turned his head away from them, and for a moment it almost sounded as if he was crying. They never seen him show such emotions before, and it was evident that Cheza was just as important to him as with his journey to Paradise.

Toboe stepped forward and with his snout, nuzzled Kiba.

"We'll find her," he whined. "We promise we will."

Kiba nodded his head and stood up, staggering a bit.

"Let's go find this wolf" he said looking at them. "We're going to need help getting Cheza back anyways." And with that, they head towards the painful howls that plagues the castle.


	2. Chapter 2: Night and Day

** Whew, I wrote my last chapter in less than 10 minutes. It was easier than I thought to put my ideas onto paper(well the computer but you know what I mean.) Here's Chapter 2. Reviews are appreciated. **

**I don't own Wolf's Rain. **

As the four of them separated in order to locate the wolf, Kiba's interests perked up with the sighting of a painting. As he examines it, he notices that the picture was about two wolves. One was pitch black with red eyes that almost seemed like they were gleaming. Kiba shudders as he stares into those heartless eyes, almost as if the wolf inside the painting was taunting him. He then shifted his gaze towards the other wolf, who was snow white, just like him. His eyes were blue, filled with wisdom and sympathy, Kiba felt at ease just by staring into those eyes. He notices that there were light blue markings surrounding the white wolf's body.

"Kiba!" Kiba jumped up with a startled expression. Hige revealed himself behind a corridor.

"I found something…IT looks like a dungeon of some sort" he explained. "I think the howls came from there."

"Toboe! Tsume! It's over here!" Hige shouted as Kiba trails behind him. He couldn't get the painting of the wolves out of his mind. He has never seen those wolves before, but why did the white wolf look so sad?

Another heart wrenching howl pierced through the air, Kiba and Hige broke into a sprint. They arrive, joined by Toboe and Tsume at the entrance of the so called 'dungeon' and all of them gasp at what they saw.

They didn't know that another wolf was in the castle.

No. They couldn't even smell the scent of the wolf.

In the center of the dungeon, a pitch black wolf stood above another wolf with its fangs around the other's neck. Kiba notices the blood on his teeth, and blood on the dungeon floor. The black wolf flickes his ears as soon as they arrive, as sign of sensing their presence and steps back, releasing his grip on the other wolf.

As he turned around to face them, Kiba saw that his eyes were blood red. Eyes that craved killing. Murderous eyes.

It was the wolf from the painting.

Kiba shudders as Toboe,Hige and Tsume enter a battle stance and snarl viciously at him. Kiba spots the wolf behind the black wolf.

Another wolf with white fur… with blue markings barely visible from the wounds it suffered. There were wounds all over its body, and blood stains on its fur.

_What the hell is going on?_ Kiba thinks to himself.

The white wolf was situated on a table with chains biting around its front and hind paws. The chains were secured tightly onto the floor and another huge piece of chain encircled its body, preventing it from moving. Its eyes were closed and foam flecked its muzzle. A trail of blood drips from its hind legs and onto the floor. Kiba notices a collar with a red gem in the center around its neck.

"It's such a shame," the black wolf says to no one in particular, but catching all of their attention. "Today I am finally able to get rid of this fool, but fate makes it clear that another day is more suitable."

He turns towards the bloody wolf on the table. "I have no idea why he kept you alive for so long I should have killed you a long time ago when I had the chance, but he had to keep you alive for his stupid plans."

The black wolf gives a wolfish grin towards the other wolf even though the wolf would not be able to see it.

"Another time, brother." He licks the other wolf's ears, almost like a gesture of affection, then gives a laugh which sends shivers down the gang's spines and walks away into the shadows of the room, disappearing from sight.

"Kiba, snap out of it!" yells Toboe as they all rush towards the unconscious wolf on the table. Kiba's eyes were wide, attempting to process what just happened. He finally shakes himself and shudders one final time before following the other three.

"Get him out of the chains" commands Tsume.

"What? How?" asks Hige stupidly

"Bite through them, how else?" snarls Tsume.

"I don't do that stuff, it's barbaric!" whines Hige, but noticing Toboe,Kiba and Tsume gnawing at the chains, he had no choice but to oblige. Once the chains were gnawed off, they lifted the unconscious wolf off the table and laid him on the floor. Toboe began licking its wounds.

"Is it even alive? How is it living with that many wounds and that much blood flowing out of him?" Tsume questions.

"I can hear a heartbeat, a faint one atleast…" Kiba replies.

As if on cue, the wolf opens one eye tiredly and everyone gasps. Blue eyes, the color of the ocean stares at them. The eyes then closed, and the wolf's whole body shook uncontrollably, more foam starts to generate from its mouth as it began coughing violently. He reaches one paw towards the collar in a desperate attempt to claw it off, but could not muster the strength to do so.

"Get the collar off " Kiba shouts as his fangs digs into the collar, trying to bite through it. The others join in and after a couple of tugs and yanks, the collar came off.

"Are you okay?" Toboe asks the wolf with worry in his voice.

No response.

"He's unconscious," Kiba says

"At least he's calmed down now. His breathing rate is back to normal." Hige states.

Tsume, who was staring at the wolf as they check him over raises a brow.

"Who would do something like this? Like it's natural for someone to kill wolves, but to keep one chained up and tortured like this… something's not right. And who the hell was that other wolf? It talked as if they knew each other."

"Whoever did this is one messed up freak," Hige says without emotion.

"Let's get him out of here before the entire castle collapses on us" Kiba commands as they lift the unconscious wolf up.

"I saw something in the castle...a painting of some sort..." Kiba begins

"Save it" Tsume shouts "Until we're out of here"

"Let me carry him" Tsume says as he slid under the unconscious wolf, putting all his weight squarely on the back of the grey wolf. He stood up with the unconscious wolf's legs dangling off the floor.

As they were running out of the castle, the ceiling collapsed and Kiba was seperated from them.

"Kiba!" Toboe cries.

"Keep running!" Tsume yells as he picks up the runt by the scruff.

"No! Kiba!" Toboe screams as they exit the collapsing castle.

**Had to edit it because I forgot that Kiba was supposed to be separated from the gang until they meet in the desert again. **

**DUN DUN DUNNNN. Who was that black wolf and why was he attempting to kill the white one? What did he mean when he mentioned "his" Paradise plans? Who was the guy who chained the wolf up on the table like that? Why am I asking all these questions? Stay tuned for the next Chapter :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Peaceful past

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain**

**Flashback**

_Two wolves with bright blue eyes were running across a field filled with Lunar Flowers. The sun was shining brilliantly, as the two wolves playfully tackled each other to the ground. Laughing, the wolves stood up and shook their fur, mischievous smiles on their faces. One of the wolf, the white wolf flicked his ears to get rid of a petal that clung to it. Prodding the other wolf, who was a black male in the side, the white wolf asked _

_ "Kurai, wouldn't it be better if there were more wolves in here?" _

_ The black wolf, Kurai was his name shook his head._

_ "We have this place all to ourselves, why would we want more people here? It'll just be more crowded," he said while lying on the carpet of flowers. _

_ The white wolf stared at him for a moment._

_ "We were the first and only ones to enter this place, we deserve it" Kurai states._

_ The white wolf shook his head in disapproval. They've been here, for several centuries now and over the decades they have seen countless others trying to gain access to this sacred place. All have failed, and as a result they paid the price with their lives. The world was reborn countless times, but no matter what, no other wolves were able to finish the journey. The white wolf has seen one wolf, however, make it dashingly close. He was literally at the entrance, but another purple wolf made it there first. However, only wolves with pure hearts are able to enter and the purple wolf had no heart._

_ As soon as he stepped on the path, his body dissipated. His one wolf eye polluted the earth, and thus the Flower Maiden had to sacrifice her life in order for the world to be reborn. The other white wolf who the wolf knew as Kiba, was to continue this perilous cycle of attempting to reach his place, only to be stopped by the purple wolf again. The cycle constantly repeated.  
_

_ "I think..." the white wolf says with his eyes closed "We should help these wolves..."_

_ "Shiroi Hikaru" Kurai snapped at the white wolf. The white wolf's ears went up, he didn't like it when Kurai used his full name. "Don't bring those dirty dogs into our Paradise."_

_ "Kurai, you're being unreasonable!" he says. "I'm asking you, as a brother to help these wolves with me. Can't you see the suffering they have to endure?"_

_ "It's not my problem " Kurai replies "This place is our, no , my Paradise and I won't let anyone take it away from me! Do you remember our hardships? How we made it here in the first place?"_

_ Shiroi shuddered. He remembered the sacrifices that were made to make it here. Being the first creatures to enter Paradise was no easy task. In the beginning, humans were lustful for the knowledge of such a place, and their greed drove them to hunt the two brothers. Through the sacrifices of their guide, they were able to make it to Paradise._

_ But still...Something about these wolves sparked something within him. Something within him wanted to desperately help these wolves complete their journey._

_ "I remember far too well, brother"Shiroi said as he walks away from his brother. "But these wolves, they need us to help them. No one should suffer like we did." _

_ Shiroi stood up and walked farther and farther away from his brother until Kurai understood what he was doing. _

_ He was walking towards the exit._

_ "SHIROI DON"T YOU DARE" he yelled but Shiroi kept walking. "Shiroi Hikaru, you are making the biggest mistake of your life" he screamed, but the white wolf kept walking._

_ The world was about to be reborn once again, he had no time to waste._

_ As Kurai watched his brother's figure become smaller and smaller, he grit his teeth._

_ "Shiroi, I promise you that you will regret this. I'll take you down myself. No one will take this Paradise from me " he spat_

_ " No one. Not even you my brother " he growled, his once bright blue eyes turning red with hate._

_ When Shiroi stepped out of Paradise, he felt different. He felt power radiating out of his body, and his white fur gleamed with radiance. He noticed that light blue markings appeared on his body and face. He looked up at the red moon, and watched it as it turned blue. The ice he was treading on melted and underneath there was grass. He smelled Lunar Flowers, it was good being back in the mortal world. _

_ He threw his head back and howled. _

_ He didn't notice Kurai behind him as the black wolf slipped out of Paradise, avoiding the white wolf. His eyes gleamed with malice and hate as he set in motion the plans to stop his ignorant brother from fulfilling his self-imposed mission._

**A/N: Just thought that there should be some background behind the black and white wolf. I know that Paradise was supposed to be the world reborn, but in this case I made it so Paradise was actually a place, separate from the mortal world. Read and review please 3**

**Kurai means Dark**

**Shiroi Hikari means White Light**


	4. Chapter 4: Awaken

**Disclaimer: I don't own wolf's rain.**

The white wolf could feel something moving beneath him. He could also tell that he was being carried by someone, or something. He didn't really care, he was too tired to fight back. The wounds he was given by the other wolf were severe. He could feel the blood dripping from one of his hind legs, and a large amount of bite marks on his body. Honestly, there wasn't a place where he didn't hurt.

"Kiba..." he heard someone say. It sounded like a young pup, probably around the age of 11 or 12.

"He'll survive. A person with that much crap will survive for sure" another person said. This person had a deep voice, probably around the age of 18.

Suddenly he felt dizzy, and a wave of nausea hit him. He opened one eye and stared at the ground and saw a trail of blood.

_I've lost so much blood..._he thought as his consciousness faded. Darkness consumed him as he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

He awoke to the sound of wind blowing against the sand.

_Wait...sand?_ he thought as he tried to lift his head to get a hold of where he was. He couldn't lift his head a few centimeters before collapsing back down, panting. He shifted his paws a bit, which surprised him.

_I can move my paws?_

His eyes shot open to find that there were no more chains binding his legs together. _What the hell is going on... _he thought.

His eyes started to close again, even though he tried to force them to stay opened. His consciousness faded again.

He remembered someone biting through the chains and chewing the collar off him. But he couldn't remember past that.

Before he fell asleep, he heard the words _Another time, brother_

* * *

A gentle tongue licked his wounds, and his eyes shot open. Despite not being able to stand up or even lift his head, he snarled in warning. The tongue stopped and he heard the creature step back.

"Guys, he's awake!" a voice exclaimed in excitement.

He twisted his neck, wincing at the stab of pain in doing so he noticed a pup staring at him. His tired eyes looked up and around, trying to grasp the situation. They were in a cave in a desert somewhere, he wasn't sure how they got here but he sure hoped that they weren't enemies. The young pup sat on his haunches, inches away from him. He noticed two other wolves nearby. One was a grey wolf with a X shaped scar on his chest, and another was a brown wolf with a collar. He noticed that the pup had silver bangles around his legs.

"What's your name?" the pup asked. The white wolf didn't respond as he struggled to stand up, but his injured hind leg caused him to collapse back down onto the ground, he felt exhausted. He hasn't used these legs in well over two hundred years, it's no wonder that he felt so weak.

The pup rushed hurriedly to his side, licking his injured hind leg. He let the pup continue licking, he hadn't had any company in a long time and he was not in a position to refuse help. He moved his hind leg away from the pup and struggled to stand again, and he succeeded. He stood panting like a rabid dog, but after a moment he sat on his haunches and stared at the three unfamiliar wolves.

"I'm Toboe!" the pup said with added enthusiasm wagging his tail like crazy. He didn't respond, the process of just sitting on his haunches were tiring him out. The pup didn't seem to notice this as he pointed towards the brown wolf who wore a collar with his snout "That's Hige."

"Glad to see that you're awake" Hige said

He then pointed towards the grey wolf with the scar and labeled him as "Tsume." Tsume nodded curtly, suspicion in his eyes as he watched the white wolf.

"So...what's your name?" the pup asked again. The white wolf opened his mouth and tried to say "_Shiroi" _but no words came out. He sat bewildered, and opened his mouth again in an attempt to speak, but only silence came.

_Wh-what the hell? _he thought.

Tsume who was watching nearby apparently had enough of this bullshit as he lunged towards the wolf, grabbed his scuff, and threw him across the cave. Shiroi howled in pain as his wounds reopened and blood flowed out of them.

"What the hell is your problem you bastard?! We save your sorry ass, so when we ask you a question fucking answer it!" he yelled. Shiroi looked into Tsume's eyes, trying to communicate through eyesight. He wanted to tell him that something was wrong, that he couldn't talk but Tsume was having none of it. He began walking towards Shiroi with anger in his eyes until Toboe stepped between him and Shiroi.

"Stop it Tsume!" he cried "He's still hurt!"

"He would have been dead if we didn't save his sorry hide" Tsume snarled as he pushed Toboe out of the way and stood in front of Shiroi. He put one of his legs on Shiroi's leg, which just so happened to be his injured leg to hold him down. Shiroi snarled in pain and snapped at Tsume, but Tsume held his ground. Suddenly Hige appeared and threw Tsume off.

"Would you calm down!" Hige shouted "Maybe the reason why he didn't reply was because he couldn't." Tsume stopped for a moment.

"What do you mean?" he demanded

"He's probably mute. I mean, just look at him!" Hige said. All eyes were turned to Shiroi, who opened his mouth again but silence only came out. Shiroi shook his head in disbelief and looked at Tsume with those knowing and pleading blue eyes. Tsume snarled angrily, then left the cave. Shiroi slumped to the ground, with old and new wounds from Tsume.

"He's not usually like this..." Hige explained as he walked up to the injured wolf. "It must be because of Kiba and Cheza that he's acting like this."

"Just when we thought you were getting better, Tsume had to go and do something stupid and pointless."

"I'll find some herbs" said Toboe as he bounded out of the cave. As soon as Toboe was gone, Hige leaned in to Shiroi, almost touching his face with his snout.

"So...who was that other wolf?"

_Other wolf? _Shiroi thought. He gave Hige a blank stare that suggested confusion.

"The black wolf in the keep. It sounded like he knew you. One moment he's about to rip your throat out, then the other he licks your ear.(**A/N: Licking an ear is considered a gesture of affection for wolves okay ):"**)"

_Kurai_ Shiroi said silently. The reason why he couldn't speak was probably because Kurai probably put a curse on him while he was unconscious.

Hige leaned in closer to Shiroi.

"What exactly happened down there?"

Shiroi stared at Hige. What did he want? An answer? _I would tell you if I could but if you haven't noticed, I can't freaking talk_ Shiroi thought angrily. Hige suddenly looked away.

"Well whatever, it doesn't have anything to do with me so I won't badger you about it. Tsume might though." Hige grinned.

When Toboe came back with herbs, he immediately chewed them to a pulp and began applying it on Shiroi's wounds. Shiroi hissed and winced in pain as the herbs were placed. It felt like his whole body was burning.

"What are these...?" Toboe's voice trailed off as he inspected the markings on Shiroi's body.

"What?" Hige said as he walked over.

"There are these weird patterns on his body" Toboe said. He placed a paw on Shiroi's fur, touching his markings. He put a little too much weight, and Shiroi hissed in pain. "Sorry!" Toboe said as he removed his paw.

"If he can't tell us his name, can we give him one?" Toboe asked

"Uh, sure. What should we call him?" replied Hige

Toboe stared at Shiroi for a while, then an idea clicked into mind

"Hikaru!" Toboe said excitedly. "His fur is as white as light." _Well, Hikaru is part of my name as well_ Shiroi thought humerously as he closed his eyes, about to drift off to sleep.

"Well, I better go find Tsume," Toboe said as he got up and walked out of the cave.

Hige and Shiroi both fell asleep in the cave. It wasn't until a few minutes later that they heard Toboe howl.

Hige's eyes perked up as he got up.

"That sounded like Toboe! He's in trouble!" Hige shouted as he began running out of the cave. Shiroi limped after him.

"You wait here. You won't be able to do much with those wounds" Hige stated.

_Well thanks for making me feel useless._

The brown wolf bounded off towards the sound of Toboe's howl. Shiroi opened his eyes, and his blue eyes began to glow. The markings came back on his body, and they began to glow as well. Soon the wounds on his body began to heal, the fur and muscle almost weaving back together. He didn't have enough power to heal his injured hind leg though, or to lift the curse that Kurai set on him. That bastard wolf probably didn't want him to reveal their secrets.

_Now if that collar wasn't on me, I would have done that a long time ago..._ Shirou thought.

_Well, I shouldn't keep them waiting._ His eyes glowed again. He's going to find that sorry excuse for a brother, and he's going to make him pay.

_And he has that goddamn human with him as well_

When the time was right, he would strike. He won't let Kurai get the first strike this time, because the last time he got lucky.

And with that, he walked slowly after the wolves.

**A/N: What do you guys think about this Chapter? Do you think that I should not have revealed Shiroi's abilities this early in the story? Would it have been better for him to conceal his abilities until he needed to use them? Read and review please. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5: THe trap

**I don't own wolf's rain**

**Flashback~**

_When Shiroi first wandered the plains of the mortal realm again, a feeling of excitement breezed through him. It has been so long...so long since he was here. There was no sight of civilization anywhere, the world was like a garden, grass and flowers everywhere. It was beautiful. He has never seen such a scene in his life. _

_Its beauty could match that of Paradise's._

_ Shiroi curled up beside a newborn great Oak tree, his tail touching his nose and fell asleep. He had to wait about three hundred years before his destined meeting. The moon has bestowed upon him several gifts along his journey. One was that he would never get hungry, two he would never age, and the final gifts lie in his markings around his body. Great power laid dormant within him, and he hoped that he would never have to use it to achieve his goals._

* * *

**_500 years later_**

_As he wandered around the Earth, he caught some unfamiliar scents. He found out that they were humans as he moved in for a closer inspection._

* * *

_ A young girl fell into a river, and her frantic mother yelled for help. A large white wolf dove into the water, grabbing the girl by her shirt and hauling her out. The mother hugged her daughter in tears, but when she turned around to see the wolf, it was gone._

* * *

**_850 years later_**

_Reports of a black wolf murdering civilians in the woods has been reported. Nobles promised their people that they will get to the bottom of this problem._

* * *

_**950 years later**_

_ A noble by the name of Darcia reported disposing of the black wolf. No more reports of the black wolf were shown after he claimed so. The people decided to hail the noble as a "Lord" and dedicated much of their resources to him. _

* * *

**_1000 years later_**

_Shiroi wandered through towns in search of Lord Darcia. He was going to question him about the black wolf, but as soon as he walked into a town, the townspeople brandished weapons and attacked him. They called him a "demon" and a "hell spawn." He walked away from the town, missing the banner which read "Lord Darcia: Wolves are murderers, demons of hell. Kill all wolves." Finally, after locating and following Darcia for several days, Shiroi made his appearance. Stepping in front of the carriage and blocking its way, the driver stopped the carriage._

_ "It's a wolf!" the driver screamed in fear and ran off._

_Darcia calmly stepped out of the carriage and looked at the majestic white wolf. Shiroi's blue eyes gazed at Darcia's multicolored eyes. It was clear what Darcia was trying to do, use his Wolf's eye to somehow manipulate Shiroi, but Shiroi's powers were greater than Darcia's._

_ "Ah, the rumored white wolf... I heard so much about you" he said_

_ Oh really? From who? Shiroi replied_

_ "Another wolf," Darcia smiled as he walks towards Shiroi. Shiroi stared at him with wary eyes."By the name of Kurai" he added_

_ Kurai? Oh shit! Shiroi yelled as he noticed several patterns appear on the floor below him. They were energy circles, designed to siphon off energy from their victims._

_ As he struggled to stay on his legs, his energy being drained from him, he saw Kurai walk out of forest with a sadistic grin on his face._

_ Br-brother? Shiroi asked with uncertainty in his voice. Why was his brother working with a human? Shiroi started panting, the struggle to stay standing increased._

_ I told you, Kurai replied. You won't take my Paradise away from me, and I told you I would be the one to take you down. The moon has given me several blessings as well. He turned to look at Shiroi, and Shiroi gasped when he saw that Kurai's eyes were blood red._

_ What happened to you?! Shiroi cried_

_ "Your brother has given me his loyalty in return for me to aid him in foiling your pathetic plans," Darcia said with a wicked grin. _

_ We'll see about that, Shiroi replied. His eyes started glowing along with the markings on his body. He was trying to dispel the energy circles._

_ "Now now, we can't have any of that can we?" Darcia said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a collar. A collar with a red gemstone in it. He walked slowly towards Shiroi and lifted the collar to his neck. Shiroi's markings stopped glowing, along with his eyes instantly._

_ Wh-what? Shiroi exclaimed._

_ "Your brother over there told me of this rare stone called the Moonstone. It is the only known stone that can reflect a moon's ray, but of course it should have no effect on you. That's why he infused his own blood into this stone, it's the perfect weapon against you a demi wolf." Darcia leaned forward and began putting the collar on Shiroi_

_ Kurai...you... Shiroi's voice trailed off as Darcia snapped the collar on Shiroi and tightened it. The collar bit into his fur, but that was the least of his worries. When the collar came on, all of Shiroi's strength disappeared and he fell to the floor gasping. He looked up to see Kurai smiling at him. Shiroi attempted to get up several times, but his strength...it was gone. He could only stare with his eyes on his brother as Kurai approached him._

_ Now...I've been waiting for this moment for a thousand years Shiroi. The day Darcia was born, I knew he would be the one. It was only a matter of manipulating the stupid humans, which was easy for me. Kurai smirked as he leaned forward and whispered in Shiroi's ears_

_ Now I can finally kill you and reclaim my place in Paradise. But don't worry...I'll do it slowly._

_ Kurai noticed that Shiroi's legs were shaking with the attempt to muster enough strength to stand up. Kurai bit into Shiroi's leg and shook it until a bone crunching sound was heard. _

_ Shiroi cried out in pain._

_ He bit into his shoulder, his flank and his back all while drawing blood. Shiroi could only futilely paw at his brother in a desperate attempt to stop the pain. After a long moment of torturing his brother, Kurai stepped back to see his work. Shiroi's white fur was matted with blood, his hind leg was broken and the floor was splayed with his blood. Shiroi's heavy and rasped breathing was the only thing that ensured that he was still alive._

_ Unfortunately we must end this brother, Kurai said and he leaned forward with his fangs gripping Shiroi's neck._

_ "Stop" Darcia commanded._

_ Kurai flicked his ears. What did you just say? he snarled._

_ "Why kill him now when we can use him...for our next batch of plans?"_

_Our plans? This has nothing to do with me snarled Kurai_

_ "Of course it does. How do you plan on returning to Paradise after you have killed your brother? Your paws will be stained in blood."_

_ Kurai growled. He never thought about this. What are we going to do then?_

_ "We use his blood...to open Paradise for us. He is a pure hearted wolf after all."_

_ Kurai chuckled. He liked that idea. The idea of using his brother as a guinea pig._

_ "Let's bring him back to the keep" Darcia said_

_ Kurai grabbed his brother by the scuff and hurled him into the carriage. Shiroi's injured leg hit the floor and he let out a shriek of pain._

_ Shut up, Kurai said. He leans in close to his brother, and Shiroi opens his eyes to face his brother's cold, murderous ones. _

_If only you didn't decide to help those other wolves, this would have never happened. Because of you, I am going to find and kill every single one of those wolves. And when they fall bleeding before your eyes, you'll know that you were the one who caused it._

_ Shiroi's eyes closed and he submitted himself to the darkness that consumed him._

_ The next time he awoke, he was in a dungeon feeling incredibly weak. He tried to move his front paws, but noticed that there were chains tying both paws together. He noticed the chains on his hind legs too. He couldn't even muster the strength to lift his head, how was he going to get out here? He laid his head down and went back to sleep._

_ He felt something jab his body and he opened his eyes. Darcia was attaching something to his body, and it hurt like hell. His eyes flickered wild and he noticed that needles were attached to him, draining his blood. His vision blurred._

_ "Kurai" Darcia shouted._

_ What do you want? Shiroi heard Kurai respond._

_"Remember your oath with me. If and shall the keep fall, then you will kill the wolf. Do not kill him before, my grandsons might have plans for him."_

_ Yes, but when the keep falls. He's mines to kill. _

_ "Now will the blood of a pure heart wolf, and the eye of the wolf that resides in me. Paradise will be ours to take!"_

_ Shiroi heard a sound, almost like a switch being turned on. Next thing he knew, his whole body started burning. The chains on his legs started rattling as he screamed in pain and thrashed about._

_ "No..." he heard Darcia say. "It's too much!" Then Darcia screamed._

_ The pain subsided. He heard a thud on the floor but Shiroi could see nothing but black._

_ Shiroi closed his eyes and unconsciousness invaded his mind._

* * *

**_1240 years later _**

_ Shiroi felt a gentle hand stroking his fur. He cracked open one eye and saw a beautiful woman with long, green flowing hair above him. Her eyes were filled with tears, tears with sympathy and remorse. She slowly pulled the needles that were imbedded within his body out._

_ How long have I been here...thought Shiroi. He knew that they didn't want to kill him, not yet. But is he just going to be a prisoner here for the rest of his life?_

_ He brought his attention back to the woman. _

_Wh-what...is...your..name. Shiroi managed to choke out_

_ She smiled a sad smile. "Hamona"_

_ He didn't know why, but he wanted to lean forward and lick those tears off her face. He knew that this woman meant well, and in her touch there was no hate, only love. The chains binding him refused to let him do so._

_ "I'll get you out of here" Hamona whispered as she worked on the chain encircling his body._

_ No you won't, a black wolf appeared behind her. _

_ Hamona gasped. "You...I heard about you..." she trailed as she looked into his eyes._

_ Shiroi struggled, Hamona! No! Don't look into his eyes!_

_ Kurai's eyes flashed red and in the next instant, Hamona fell to the floor. Kurai walked up to Shiroi._

_ You..bastard. Shiroi whispered. What did you do to her..._

_ I cursed her with Paradise sickness. Everyone you come in contact will suffer, brother._

_ Kill me... Shiroi begged with tears. Please, put me out of my misery._

_ I would love to, Kurai said. But I made an oath. You'll stay in here, brother, until the day comes when I kill you myself._

_ Kurai walked up to Shiroi nuzzled his face. Shiroi's blue eyes rolled back into their sockets and his body started to shake. He started convulsing._

_ Ah, I just love seeing you suffer... Kurai said as he walked away from the dungeon. _

_You'll be thanking me when I kill you._

**_A/N: Just thought I would reveal a bit of how Shiroi got trapped in Darcia's keep in the first place. I kinda used the idea that Kurai was the one who cursed Hamona with Paradise Sickness, and Darcia the third thinking that it was his fault. I don't think Darcia the THIRD knew that Shiroi was in his keep until he found Hamona on the floor. Kurai obviously bullshitted Darcia into thinking that it's his fault or at least Shiroi's fault. And holy crap I had to tap into my sadist side for a moment while writing this story. Poor Shiroi being tortured by his evil brother, and the one person who finds him falls victim to his evil brother. The keep has been passed down from generations, and I don't think Darcia the THIRD had any idea that two wolves were in his keep._**

**_A/N 2: Kurai was obviously planning on killing Shiroi in chapter 1, but seeing the wolves hatched an idea in his head. He's going to try and kill all of them at once to save the trouble._**

**_Oh and, the reason why people started hunting wolves? Yup, Darcia the First._**


	6. Chapter 6: The tribe

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain**

Hige bounded after Toboe's howl, hoping that he wasn't too late for what was about to come. The sand being blown into his face as he sprinted, clouding his vision a bit.

"Toboe!" he cried out hoping for a response. "Where are you?!"

Then he spotted him, with his human facade of a young teen boy with a red a red shirt and green pants. He was surrounded by a bunch of humans on horses. Hige shifted to his human facade and approached them.

"Stop! What are you doing?" he snarled as he broke through the circle and joined the cowering Toboe. As in response, one of the hunters shot an arrow, missing Hige's feet just by a few inches. The hunters were closing in, until Tsume came running behind one of them and knocked them off their horses. He was also in his human disguise. He bared their teeth at them.

"Get out of here, troops of Jagura!" one of the humans yelled as he hurled a spear at them, which they easily dodged.

"Wait! We're not-" Toboe tried to explain but an arrow whipped past his face.

"Why don't we just kill them all " Tsume snarled as he threatened to drop his human disguise and go after the throat of one of the humans who stood nearby.

A piercing howl brought all of their attention to a wolf who limped towards them. A white wolf with blue eyes and visible blue markings gazed at the hunters.

"A wolf?" one of the humans say

"It can't be!" One by one the humans dropped their weapons, and dropped onto their knees with their heads bowed. One of the humans walked up to Toboe and stuck out his hand in a friendly gesture.

"I am so sorry, we did not realize that you were wolves. My name is Ihk" he introduced himself. He had red paint on his face, long black hair and a feather on his hair. "You see our tribe believes in wolves...we would have never attacked you if we knew."

"That's okay" Toboe said with his face aglow.

"Like hell it is," Tsume said.

"So uh..." Hige started "We're starved, do you have any food around here?"

Tsume and Toboe looked at Hige sternly. Like a mother berating their cub for something wrong.

"What? I'm hungry!"

Toboe looked back at Shiroi. "Hikaru, what are you doing here? You should be resting..." He noticed that Shiroi's wounds were healed, save for the fact that his injured hind leg was still broken. "What happened to your wounds!" Toboe gasped.

Shiroi looked away, as if something else had suddenly caught his attention and promptly ignoring Toboe.

"Why don't you come back with us to our tribe's camp. We should alert the elder of your visit" Ihk said.

"Elder?" They all said in unison, except for Shiroi who said it in his head.

"The elder is a wise man, and it is evident that you are searching for something...Perhaps the elder can help you with your search."

* * *

**At the tribe's camp**

As the four of them walked in the tribe's camp, they noticed several injured animals lying on the ground.

"What happened here?" asked Toboe

"Jagura's troops attacked us" explained Ihk as he went over to pet a dog who's fur was covered in wounds. "They're attacking any animals that look like wolves." Shiroi limped over to the dog who Ihk was petting, leaned in and licked its eyes. The markings on Shiroi's body glowed for a bit, then died down. The dog opened its eyes and whined.

Ihk stared at Shiroi in surprise. Shiroi started panting, he just used most of his power to heal his wounds and he had no idea why he just healed the pet of a random stranger. _It must have been instincts_ he thought.

"What the hell are you?" he heard Tsume's voice as his turned his gaze over to them. The three wolves practically had the biggest jaw drop Shiroi has ever seen before.

"It can't be..." Ihk whispered

"Can't be what?" Hige asked.

Ihk shook his head. "Come, the elder will explain everything." He walked towards a tent, and motioned for them to follow. Inside the tent was an old man, standing with a cane in his hands. He wore a big fur coat, and a feather hat was on his head. As they approached him, the elder turned around slowly, opening his eyes. His gaze laid upon Shiroi with surprise, and they simply gazed at each other for a moment. The elder's old and wise eyes, meeting with Shiroi's graceful and kind ones. At last, the elder turned away with a smile on his face.

"Elder" Ihk said bowing his head in a respectful manner. "These wolves have need of your assistance."

"Ah, yes..." The elder said. "I see that you're searching for something."

"Our packmate, Kiba" replied Toboe. "He's a white wolf like Hikaru here."

_Kiba? White wolf?_ thought Shiroi. He can't really remember where he heard this name before, but it sounded familiar.

Everyone was surprised when Ihk spoke. "Desert's Bones"

"Desert's Bones?" echoed Hige.

Ihk nodded "Yes if your friend has wandered here, he will most likely be at the place. It is south from the camp."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Tsume grunted. "Let's go find him."

As the four walked out of the tent, they noticed Toboe trailing behind. Tsume stopped and looked at him

"What is it runt?"

"I want to stay here with Ihk!" he declared, avoiding eye contact with Tsume. Tsume paused for a second, then nodded.

"Whatever" he said as he walked away. Hige noticed Shiroi staying with Toboe.

"You too, Hikaru?" he asked. Shiroi looked at the elder and the elder translated for him.

"This one is not fit to travel yet, his leg is still mending. He says he will catching up with you later on."

Hige nodded and followed after Tsume. "Are you sure about this?" Hige asked Tsume.

"The runt has always had a soft spot for humans," Tsume replied without emotions. It was obvious that Toboe leaving the pack had a huge impact on Tsume. As they walked further and further into the desert, they saw a few soldiers surrounding a plant-like object in the middle of the desert. Immediately noticing them as Jagura soldiers, Tsume and Hige dropped their human facade and ran headfirst into battle.

"Wolves!" he heard one of the soldiers say, but his cry was silenced by Tsume biting his throat open. An armored soldier aimed their spears at Tsume, and emitted a shock blast but Tsume jumped out of the way. Hige was fending off three soldiers on his own, but one of the soldiers threw a javelin at him, and he winced in pain as it sliced past his shoulder.

They were heavily outnumbered.

Suddenly an arrow flew out of nowhere and hit one of the soldiers in the head. He fell to the floor instantly. Hige looked up with surprise to see Ihk on his horse, and his dogs, along with Toboe coming to their rescue.

"Hige! Tsume!" Toboe cried as he ran towards them. As they were reunited, the soldiers started to fall down on their own. The wolves trotted over to where they saw the soldiers inspecting the plant. Then they saw Kiba lying lifeless on the ground. His body looked starved and his white fur was matted with sand, turning it into a beige color.

"Kiba..." Toboe whispered as he stepped forward.

"Get away from the plant!" Ihk commanded. "It emits a poison that paralyzes your body!"

"What do we do?" Toboe cried. "We can't just leave him like this!"

Ihk covered his nose with his arm, rushed in and grabbed Kiba. He put the unconscious wolf on his horse.

"Come, the elder will know what to do." He said as he trotted back towards the tribe's camp.

* * *

**After they made it back to the camp.**

Shiroi was asleep with his head on his paws, he wasn't able to sleep this peacefully for centuries. After he was captured, he spent most of his days writhing in pain and agony. To be able to sleep like this was like heaven to him.

Shiroi's ears perked up when he heard other voices, and it sounded like they were in panic. Barging into the tent where the elder(and Shiroi, since he was sleeping in the elder's tent) was, a fear shaken Toboe came in.

"Please help, it's Kiba. He needs help" explained Toboe.

The elder nodded and said "Bring him in."

As they laid Kiba on the floor, Shiroi awoke from his slumber and shook his fur. He opened his eyes to see the white wolf lying on the floor across the elder and a sudden realization hit him.

_That's...that's the wolf I've seen when I was in Paradise!_ he thought. Then he remembered why he came into the mortal realm in the first place, and it was to help this white wolf and his pack reach Paradise. **(A/N: Well hey, 300 years of being tortured in a dungeon has to bring some memory loss, right?) **Shiroi walked over to Kiba and inspected him closely. His fur was mangled in dirt and sand, and he was starved to the point where you could see his bones sticking out.

"His spirit is gone from his body" the elder sighed

"Can you bring him back?" asked Toboe worriedly. The elder didn't answer, but instead clapped his hands together and looked at Shiroi. Shiroi nodded back. "I will need your help, friend" he said to Shiroi as he began chanting. The three other wolves saw Shiroi sit on his haunches, and they could tell he was concentrating on something. His blue eyes began to glow and the blue markings on his body glowed as well. The elder's chant escalated, then he stopped and opened his palms. He blew into his palm and Shiroi threw his head back and let out a piercing howl. The other three wolves felt invigorated by his howl and they joined in howling as well. When they stopped, Toboe noticed Kiba's eyes move and he opened one eye tiredly.

"Hey guys..." he whispered. "Long time no see."

"I suppose that you think that was funny" Hige said.

"You scared us half to death! Where have you been?" Toboe asked.

"Somewhere nice...it was almost like Paradise" Kiba replied

"But it wasn't, right?" Tsume confirmed.

"No...they kicked me out " Then he closed his eyes.

"Don't worry, your friend is back" the elder said, then he looked at Shiroi who was panting. Shiroi walked slowly towards the elder, then collapsed with his head in the elder's lap.

"Hikaru? What's the matter with him?" Toboe asked with concern.

The elder frowned. "A strong curse has been placed upon this one. How he was able to summon enough power to help, is beyond question." The elder stroked Shiroi's head. "It has been a long time hasn't it, my friend?" he chuckled.

"How will he get rid of the curse?" Hige asked.

"When the time is right and his strength is back, he will be able to dispel it himself" the elder replied.

"Who is this Hikaru person anyways?" Tsume asked

The elder chuckled. "Hikaru...is only half of his name. His real name is Shiroi Hikaru." (**White Light)**

"That doesn't answer our question," Tsume said with his head bowed. For once he showed respect to the old man. "We saved him in a keep, and he was badly wounded. When we arrived he was chained to a table with another wolf at his neck."

The elder raised a brow worriedly. "Another wolf?" he asked

"A black wolf, with red eyes. His laugh...his gaze..." Tsume shuddered as he recalled the moment the black wolf left. "It seemed like they knew each other, because before he left he whispered something to Hikaru and licked his ears..."

The elder was suddenly on alert. "_Kurai_" he whispered with beads of sweat coming down. "_But how...these two should have been long gone..._"

"Kurai?" Tsume said his name out loud.

The three wolves shook their heads. "The reason why it is rumored that only wolves can make it to Paradise, was because the first animals to open Paradise were wolves." the elder explained.

"Kurai and Shiroi were the two wolves who entered Paradise. I remember it, because I was their companion in another life."

Hige,Tsume and Toboe all gasped. "So Paradise is real after all?" Tsume asked.

"Yes, of course" the elder said. "But why is Shiroi here now? Why return here after everything that has happened?" he asked himself. _And why would Kurai do something like this to him?_ the elder thought.

The elder stopped to think for a moment, before looking at the other wolves. He looked at Kiba, then at Shiroi.

"I think the reason why he's here is because he wants to help you reach Paradise." the elder said with grim expression. His hands laid on Shiroi's head, pondering about the pain and suffering he had to go through until this destined meeting.

**A/N: I changed Shiroi's name to Hikaru because Hikaru = light but I didn't know Hikari=life(female name) qq. I decided to make it so Shiroi isn't as useless as seen in the other Chapters, and I want the view on Shiroi to be he's a beyond-average wolf. Please PLEASE read and review. I'll cry if I don't get a review soon ):**


	7. Chapter 7: Farewell

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain._**

**_ I'm probably going to be adding Chapters every week, maybe every 2-3 days. I'd be happy if you guys Favorited the story._**

_It was so cold..._

_ Everywhere...everything...the snow hid it all._

_ There was no form of life in this plain. Snow was all I could see. I looked back, and I could see nothing but a terrace of snow. I looked forward, and a light was beckoning me towards it. Paying no heed to the weight the snow brought upon me, I tread towards it. I had a feeling that happiness was beyond this path, I had friends waiting for me at the end, but why do I feel so uneasy? Surely nothing could happen to me anymore once I reach the light, but this uncomfortable feeling._

_If I walk forward now, would everything be okay?_

_ Suddenly a dark figure blocked my path, and I recognized his scent. A black wolf with red eyes that glowered at me, his lips brought back with a snarl._

_ "Nothing will be fine brother, I will end everything."_

_ I snarl and leap at him, our bodies colliding and our fangs trying to dig into the others neck. We clawed at each other, tumbling around in the snow that has been stained with our blood. As we separated away and stood glaring at each other, we were oblivious to the snow cracking beneath our feet. The ground collapsed, dragging us with it into a void of darkness._

_ I couldn't see anything... _

_ I couldn't hear anything..._

_I couldn't even move, a great weight was on my body as we pummeled down into our impending doom._

_ Was it better for it to end this way? I thought._

* * *

**Shiroi**

I honestly feel like crap. My body hasn't been this beaten and battered in ages, and the fact that I'm using my abilities makes it even worst. It feels like as I've been shot in the stomach, fell over a cliff and then ran over by a car. That's how crappy I feel right now. I open one of my eyes and see that Kiba is standing up with a human facade on. He had his jacket over his shoulders, hugging it like a blanket. The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure every single wolf has a human disguise.

Every single wolf except me.

I never needed a human facade, so I never learned how to develop one. Never had the need to adapt to such an extent. As I open both eyes and attempt to stand up, I notice a presence in front of me. It was the elder.

Well, technically I'm older than him, but I guess for a human to be called an elder is a way of respect. I never thought I would be able to see him again. This human...my first companion. He put his fragile hand on my head in a soothing manner. I remember his touch a long time ago. It was soft and gentle...and that hasn't changed over the centuries we've been apart.

"How are you?" he asked.

_Feel like shit, _I thought as I stared at him. I'm pretty sure he can hear my thoughts, because he started smiling, then laughing a bit. It's always been like this between us. Eye contact is all we need to communicate. His face suddenly hardened and he stared me right in the eyes.

"Kurai" he whispered. "What happened to him?"

A hint of fear danced in my eyes when I drew my lips back in a snarl, ears flattened against my head. _Don't mention that name, _I thought _Pl_ease don't mention it... I sat back on my haunches, and whined.

"I fear something...bad has happened. Something will happen in the near future as well..." his eyes looked away from mines for a bit. "Something changed in him...the Kurai I knew used to be so gentle."

I stared back into the old man's eyes, and as soon as our eyes made contact, I was able to show him exactly what happened to be in the past 300 years. The link between us was strong, making it easy for me to project the memories. I showed him the pain and humiliation when Kurai ambushed me. The collar which was strapped on me, sapping my powers away. The suffering and torture I went through while being locked up in that keep. Then a final image appeared, and it was Kurai standing above me as my tired eyes gazed up on him. He gripped my neck with his fangs, about to bite in.

The elder and I broke eye contact and I jumped back, panting heavily. The elder had tears in his eyes as he reached forward with his hand, and touched the markings on my body.

"I understand what you gone through and what you must do" the elder told me. "You came back for the sake of others, abandoning your own Paradise in the attempt to aid others."

He paused for a second. "Shiroi when I accompanied you in your journey to Paradise... I always thought that at some point the journey would end. But you...you didn't want to leave. I thought when you made it to Paradise, that you would go in without looking back. That you would forget us."

I looked at him for a long time, before treading over and nuzzling him with my head.

_You idiot, _I thought _I would never forget_ you...

He patted my head and smiled. "Let's go see how your friends are going."

We walked out of the tent, and caught the other wolves in a conversation.

"Do you know how hard we looked for you?" Hige said

"Sorry, I had no idea" said Kiba.

Tsume started to chuckle, and so did Toboe and Hige.

"That head of yours is never going to change is it?" Hige said

"I'm not going to whine anymore," said Toboe, catching everyone off guard.

"We'll see about that, runt" said Hige nuzzling his hair. Tsume joined in it and they all started laughing until all eyes were turned on me. I stepped into the clearing, and embraced the moon as it shone upon my pelt. I closed my eyes for a bit, letting the moonlight bask me and opened my eyes. I felt a lot better.

"Uh...Hikaru?" Toboe asked. I looked at him

"Were you always this big?". Confused, I look at Kiba and Tsume until I realized I was almost the same height as them. Well then again, I've recovered some of my strength so my body doesn't look as weak anymore. My markings also dimly glowed. Perhaps when I get enough energy I'll dispel the curse that Kurai put on me, then I'll be able to talk again.

"So are you ready?" Tsume asked. "The runt certainly is."

"Wait a second, we didn't eat anything yet!" Hige exclaimed. All eyes rolled at him. "What? I'm hungry!"

Just then, Ihk appeared with meat in his hands. He offered them one by one to the other wolves. When he got to me, he placed the meat by my paws and I just stared at it.

"You're not hungry Hikaru?" Toboe asked worriedly. Hige raised a brow at me.

"If he doesn't want it, I'll take it" he said. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Come to think about it..." Tsume started. "We haven't seen him eat anything since we've brought him out of the keep." All of their surprised looks laid upon me and I shifted my paws uncomfortably.

"He probably just needs water and sun, just like Cheza" Toboe said.

"Except that Cheza is a flower, this guy is a wolf" Tsume retorted.

I opened my mouth, then closed it, remembering that I couldn't talk. The elder stepped beside me with a smile.

"The moon has granted this one several of its gifts," he explained. I looked at him with grateful eyes and he patted my head. I sniffed at the meat near my paws, and nibbled it a bit. This was the first time I've had meat with so long... my tail began wagging and I barked happily. Everyone laughed at me as I bit into the meat, rolled onto my back, and used all four paws to hold the meat up as I savored it.

It was almost as if I was a pup again.

After I finished with my meal, I laid my head on my paws to rest a bit.

"We ready to go?" Kiba asked the group. Tsume grunted as he stood up and Hige nodded. Toboe looked sad

"How about you runt?" Tsume said while looking at Toboe. "You can't run forever. One day you'll have to fight."

"I know..." Toboe's voice trailed off.

I suddenly felt a presence in front of me and my eyes shot open. I saw Kurai standing inches away from my face, and I bared my fangs and snarled viciously at him. He only smiled at me. Then he leaned in until our noses touched and whispered, "We'll be meeting soon brother," before vanishing in a mist of smoke. I realized that it was an illusion.

"Hikaru?" Toboe's worried voice snapped me back to reality. I saw everyone staring at me, even the elder. "What's wrong?"

I noticed that saliva dripped from my mouth(from me snarling), and my eyes were wild with fear. I shook my fur and closed my eyes, and reopened them hoping that they were back to normal. I glanced apologetically towards the group, making eye-contact with the elder. He mouthed to me _Was it him?_ and I simply nodded back.

"Well" Kiba said as he stood up. "Let's get going then."

The elder regarded Kiba for a while. "Why do you want to find Paradise?" he asked.

Kiba glanced at him. "To survive" he answered. The elder looked at me and nodded.

"I see."

We walked away from the tribe's camp, with the elder and Ihk following behind. We soon reached a hill where we stopped and looked at them.

"Thank you," Kiba said as he shook his human disguise off and sprinted forward. Tsume followed along with Hige. Toboe and I stayed behind a bit.

"Ihk, if you see an old man with a trench coat...can you help him please?" Toboe asked. Ihk nodded and his horse snorted and laughed. Toboe tried to imitate his laugh, but it failed miserably.

"Good bye," Toboe said as he bounded off. The elder and I stared at each other for a moment, and then I leaned in and rubbed my head against his leg. "It's a pity we can't journey together this time, my friend" he said. I whimpered and whined a bit but he patted my head reassuringly.

"You have friends this time. Go on, fulfill your quest." I moved away from him, and if wolves could cry, I would be crying right now. It just isn't fair... we just met and now we have to leave. I walked away from him, slowly at first then I sprinted. I sprinted and threw my head back and gave a sorrowful howl.

Paradise. I made it there once... but can I make it there again?

Or is this quest only filled with sorrow and failure at the end of it?


	8. Question

**Hi guys, I was just wondering whether you guys think that I should continue this story. I'm asking this because I have another series in mind that I would like to work on, but it irks me to think that I should abandon this story before completing it. I just need to know if anyone(even ONE person) is interested in the current story right now. If so, I'll continue to update and publish more chapters for it. If not, then it might go onto my ignore-list for a while until I feel the motivation to continue it.**

** Thanks.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain. Thank you taykitten96 for being the only person to give me feedback ;~;**

**At Jaguara's palace:**

"We've successfully reclaimed the Flower Miaden, Lady Jaguara" a voice was heard from the other side of the hall. A tall lady wearing a mask along with gold-plated armor nodded her head in approval. She was sitting on a throne, her eyes examined the paintings and ornaments in the castle, trying to show disinterest in the news she has just received. But in reality, she was pleased.

"Good, good now all we need to do is wait," she said, a smile forming on her lips.

"There was a man with her," the voice said. "A human."

_A human?_ she thought "We have no use for the human, throw him in the dungeon." she replied.

"As you wish." The closing of doors allowed Jaguara to breathe a sigh of relief. She'll have her Paradise soon enough. She took off the helmet and mask she had on, letting her long flowing green hair to fall onto her shoulders. The sound of something moving caught her attention, and she drew her sword, standing up from her throne. A black wolf with menacing red eyes padded up to her, and they both made eye contact.

"Kurai, you startled me" she said with a sigh, putting down her sword. The wolf stared at her, right in the eye and for a second she felt a feeling of fear just by the way he stared at her. It was almost as if his eyes stared into her very soul. She shivered.

"Is the preparation for his arrival finished?" he asked, every word was laced with venom.

"Yes, when the white wolf appears to rescue the Maiden, he'll fall right into our trap." Kurai's eyes blazed for a second, and Jaguara thought that he might leap and attack her for a moment.

"Not that wolf you useless noble," he hissed. "The wolf with the markings."

Jaguara's eyes widened for a second, then she remembered Kurai telling her about a mysterious wolf with sapphire eyes, the color of the ocean with light blue markings who shared similar abilities with Kurai. She laughed.

"Of course, how silly of me. You see, this whole entire room is made out of cursed Moonstones. Once he walks in here, he won't be able to get out."

A grin appeared on Kurai's face, he snarled viciously. "And when he walks in here, he's finished." The wolf padded away into the darkness and once he left, Jaguara started shivering.

_Damn wolf_ she thought. _One day we'll get rid of you too._

* * *

It was snowing. The five wolves tread through the heavy snow which threatened to collapsed at any times under the weight of their paws. Shiroi was walking next to Kiba, with Tsume trailing behind with Hige and Toboe. As a result of the lack of prey, they were all exhausted except to Shiroi who didn't need to eat. They have been walking for three days, and the scent of the Flower Maiden was beginning to fade, but that didn't stop Kiba from stoically continuing on.

"Hey Hikaru?" Shiroi's eyes perked up when he heard his name called. He looked back at Toboe. The young pup's eyes were filled with excitement.

"What's Paradise like?" he asked. Shiroi stopped and looked at the young pup, his eyes filled with warmth. If he could talk, he would have said "An amazing place," but the glimmer in his eyes were a clear indication of how he felt about it. He barked once happily

"So Kiba was right when he told us about Paradise..." Toboe looked up at the other white wolf in awe. Kiba smiled while Tsume just grunted.

"The problem is getting there still," Tsume growled.

"Of course Kiba's right," Hige said. "When was he ever not right?"

"Uh, maybe when he laid lying of starvation in the desert?" Tsume snorted. Shiroi looked at all the wolves, his eyes beginning to gleam along with his markings. He showed them a vision of a flower field filled with Lunar Flowers. Shiroi's eyes and markings dimmed, and all the other wolves let out a gasp.

"Did you see that?" they all said in unison.

"That was...beautiful!" Toboe exclaimed. They all looked at Shiroi, who was trying to hide a grin on his face. Just then, the ice cracked beneath them and they all fell into the freezing water. Shiroi leaped out of the water gracefully and shook his fur, then looked at where the others fell in. Kiba was struggling keeping afloat, and Tsume was already out of the water, grabbing Toboe by the scruff. Hige was nearly out of the water too. Shiroi saw a figure swimming towards Kiba, and immediately let out a warning growl which alerted the other wolves. They all stared at the figure get closer and closer to Kiba, until Shiroi jumped in the water and pulled Kiba out.

A giant walrus broke through ice, sending shards of snow everywhere. The wolves immediately flattened their ears and snarled. The walrus ran at Kiba, knocking him into the air and into a pillar of ice. The ice cracked where Kiba made contact with it, and he fell to the floor shaking his head. Hige and Tsume were biting at the walrus, trying to catch its attention and Toboe stood nearby frozen in fear.

"Toboe!" screamed Tsume. "Help out!"

The walrus looked over to Shiroi who stood below him, barking warningly. The walrus dropped its head down, teeth sticking out in an attempt to attack Kiba. Kiba tried to dodge but the shock from crashing into an ice pillar caused his movements to be delayed. One of the walrus teeth sunk into his hind legs. He howled painfully.

Then they heard a snarl from Toboe who jumped and clamped his jaws over the walrus' eye. The walrus shrieked in pain and flung about, trying to get the pup off him. It dived back into the water, but Toboe still had a tight hold on it.

"Toboe!" Hige yelled. After several moments, with no sounds, or signs from the young wolf, the walrus leapt through the ice wth Toboe still clutching onto its eye. It landed with a _thud_ on its side, and Shiroi noticed multiple wounds and gash marks on its body. There was no way it was going to live with that many wounds. Toboe leaped off the creature before it fell onto the floor.

Toboe stood snarling at the walrus until the wolves surrounded him.

"I...don't know what happened," Toboe started. "I just...lost it."

"You did good, runt" said Tsume as he walked beside Toboe.

The walrus opened his one good eye, and looked at the wolves. "I've guarded this place for centuries..." he said. He looked at Shiroi and gave a small nod, which Shiroi replied by sitting on his haunches. "I will not die a victim...I am your savior... it said as the life in its eyes died off and the creature's body went limp.

"At least we have food now," Hige said as he started towards the body.

"Wait" Tsume said. He looked at Toboe. "It's your kill, you get the first bite." Toboe nodded and walked towards the corpse, Shiroi watched with pride as he saw the young pup tear a piece of the meat off and the rest of the pack congratulating him.

_Was this how we feel before..._ he thought. _This feeling of belonging to a pack? _He thought of the black wolf and of his past life. The only thing the wolves had back then were themselves, and they never depended on anyone else.

_The feeling of having someone to depend on...Brother, you would like it. _he thought


	10. Chapter 9: Cornered

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain.**

After days of treading through the ice, the five wolves finally reached the outer walls of the Black City. All of the wolves had their human disguises on, except Shiroi. Shiroi glanced about nervously, looking at Kiba(who had messy brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a black jacket, white t-shirt and jeans) to the white haired and golden eyes Tsume, who was wearing black leather clothing. Toboe, who was wearing a red t-shirt which matched his hair and green pants, looked at Shiroi.

"Erm, Hikaru..." he started. "Where's your human form?" Shiroi nervously looked around. He wanted to say that he didn't have one but he couldn't.

"Is this about the pride thing again?" Tsume said. "You know, Kiba had that same idea but hey, he looks pretty human now doesn't he?"

Shiroi growled at Tsume. _This has nothing to do with pride_ he thought. Kiba looked at Shiroi for a bit before turning around to face the others.

"Maybe he doesn't have one," he said with a flat tone. That caught the attention of all the wolves, and they looked at Shiroi with confusion.

"What do you mean he doesn't have one? He's a wolf!" Hige exclaimed.

"Well if you think about it...he's been in the keep for about 300 years. Wolves weren't near extinction back then, so maybe he didn't need to adapt to the extent that we did" explained Kiba, he looked at Shiroi with understanding eyes. Shiroi nodded his head in gratitude.

"We can't go in the city like this, I'm pretty sure the nobles can tell that Hikaru is a wolf," Toboe said worriedly, casting a glance at Shiroi. However, Shiroi had other plans as he began walking away from the group.

"What are you doing?" Tsume demanded, looking at Shiroi.

Shiroi didn't reply. Instead, he started running up the outer walls with incredible speed. In a few moments, he was at the top of the wall, the sun reflecting off his white fur and making him just a blur to their eyes. He nodded towards them and then slipped away.

"Well that answers that," said Hige cheerfully.

"We'll see him again, soon. My instincts tell me that" Kiba whispered as he watched Shiroi's vanishing figure.

"Shall we get going then?" Tsume asked as the disguised wolves began their infiltration plan

* * *

**Shiroi**

I ran across the outer walls of the city, trying to get a scent of this "Flower Maiden" that Kiba has been talking about. I don't know why, but the name as well as this fragrance has been haunting me lately. I know this person from somewhere, but I can't remember where. Her scent, the smell of Lunar Flowers...What did Kiba say her name was? Cheza?

I sniffed the air again. There were definitely traces of Lunar Flowers here, strong ones too, but the scent was masked behind something. Another scent caught my attention immediately and the my fur started bristling.

_It's him..._ I thought _He's in the city somewhere too. I have to find him before he finds the others._

I sprinted along the edges of the wall, desperately trying to catch hold of the scent. As I ran, I glanced at a young human female with blonde hair, and a lab coat on.

But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the wolf beside her. Although she tried to make herself look like a human, I could easily tell that this "girl" is a wolf. I looked past her illusion and saw that she was a dark blue wolf, almost like navy-blue with sapphire eyes similar to his. I saw two human boys, one skinny and one as fat as a pig, on skateboards attempting to do something, I couldn't see what. The next thing I knew, the wolf was in the air, jumping off the sides of a nearby building and kicking(I saw it as pawing) one of the boys in the face. She had her claws sheathed so she didn't draw blood, but the impact knocked the skinny boy off his skateboard. I chuckled a bit at that. The boys skated off shouting at the females. Just then, I smelled a strong scent that almost knocked me off my feet.

_I found you_ I said, with a grin on my face. _Let the games begin_

* * *

**_Kiba_**

We just entered the city when Hige stopped us abruptly.

"Hey guys, why don't we split up?" he asked. "You two go that way and we'll go this way," he tapped Toboe on the shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want to just scope out the food?" Tsume said sternly.

"Don't worry we'll bring you back some!" Hige said laughing.

"It would look less suspicious if we split up..." said Tsume

"Okay, we'll scope out the keep first" I said.

"It's a plan, we'll meet you back at moonrise" said Hige as he ran off with Toboe trailing behind him saying "Wait for me!"

Tsume and I jumped onto a nearby platform. We then leaped onto another one...and another one... until we reached a high enough elevation to see that the front gate was guarded by a bunch of soldiers.

"So what now?" asked Tsume "Trying to go through the front gate would be suicide. Not that I'm scared or anything, just seems pointless is all."

"Wise man's words" I replied. "You want to find the backdoor?"

"If you insist, I suppose we could" Tsume said chuckling a bit. We ran off in the other direction, trying to find the back gates.

* * *

**Toboe**

"We'll be able to find a bunch of food here!" I said happily as we walked into the town.

"Wait, let's go here" said Hige, indicating an elevator.

"I don't believe it..." I started until I saw Hige walking into the elevator. I followed suit and he pushed the button.

"This should take us all the way up" he said smiling.

"Shouldn't we be heading back by now?" I asked worriedly.

"Relax" he said, still smiling. "Let's see how far we can go." After the elevator came to a stop, I looked around in confusion.

"Hige, how did you know? You've been here before right?"

"Nope, but when your instincts are as sharp as mines are, you get a feel for thing," he said as he walked out of the elevator. Unknowing to us, a camera was watching our every moves...

Hige started walking a lot faster, and I had to run to catch up to him

"Hige, wait up!" He stopped abruptly and I looked him in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Every time I try to think, my head starts pounding..." he replied, grasping his head with his hand.

"Probably not used to this strange air," I said. Then I looked at him seriously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong okay" he said, clearly irritated now.

"Please Hige, You've been acting strange ever since we got here" I said with my voice trembling.

"Get off my back, will ya?!" he snarled at me and ran away. I never seen Hige this upset and scary before... I ran after him quickly and saw him clutching his head in front of a statue of Jaguara. He was in pain.

"Hige!" I said as I ran towards him, but he quickly ran away. Sprinting away, he jumped to the other side of a nearby street. As I attempted to jump after him, a car blocked me and when the car drove by, Hige was gone.

* * *

**Kiba**

After having subdued these kids on the street who thought that we were after their 'food' we managed to convince them to show us how to get into Jaguara's keep. They told us of a backdoor into the keep, and once we reached out destination, I quickly realized the the 'backdoor' they were talking about were large cables connecting energy to the keep.

"These large cables carry energy into the city or something." One of the kids said.

"Do you feel that?" Tsume asked me

"Yeah, it's the complete opposite of basking in the moonlight" I replied

"It feels like my energy is being sucked away" Tsume said. "Something tells me it's only going to get worst."

"I know" I said.

"Listen, are you really going in there?" One of the kids asked.

"Yeah..." I replied

"Thanks for the help, guys" Tsume said before we left the two kids. As we started walking down the path, I looked at Tsume.

"You know Tsume, the others might be waiting for us," I said

"Do you want to turn back?" asked Tsume looking back at me. "Do you want to turn back?" and when no response came, Tsume said "Then let's keep going. Knowing Hige, he'll probably catch up." He stopped and looked at me, "We just need to have a little faith."

* * *

**Hige**

My head was ringing like crazy, I couldn't think straight. I have no idea why I shouted at Toboe like that, he was only worried about me. But this pain that's blurring my vision won't go away...I ran, clutching my head in an attempt to escape the pain, but it won't work. Two soldiers were walking up to me, but ringing intensified and I fell to the floor. They walked over to me and looked at my collar.

"Number 23 huh? Doesn't seem like any others are with him," they said as they walked away.

After they walked away, I sat up panting. "Why did they spare me...? I don't get it," I said out loud. The ringing came back and I clutched my head. "Ugh, my head...what's going on?!" I screamed.

* * *

**Shiroi**

I stopped running as I heard gunshots from below. I noticed the female wolf attacking three soldiers, and the human female running in the opposite direction. The female wolf ran, jumping up several platforms away from the soldiers who were firing at her. She jumped to the top of the outer walls, and the funny thing was, she didn't even notice that I was right beside her when she landed. I gave a quiet growl to get her attention and she turned around, staring in fear at first, and then her expression calmed down.

"Hello..." she said nervously to me. She looked me over, staring at the weird markings on my head and body, then she looked into my eyes and gasped.

"I didn't know...another wolf was in the city" she said lamely. I flicked my ears and let out a wolfish sigh. I heard several noises from below us, and saw that the soldiers that were chasing her weren't finished yet, as they were climbing up a set of ladders leading to the outer walls. I started running again.

"Wait!" she said. "Where are you going?" I flicked my ears as an indication for her to follow me.

I had to lead her somewhere safe. If he finds her, he'll surely kill her. We started running, but shortly after she stopped and screamed out.

"Hige!" she jumped down before I could stop her. I would have jumped down too, Hige was my packmate after all... but Kurai's scent was dangerously close. This female wolf and Hige would be slaughtered by him, so I made the decision to keep running. At least, I can either lead Kurai away from them, or in the worst case scenario, I would have to fight him.

* * *

**Kiba**

"Tsume!" I shouted as I banged on the metallic wall that just came out of nowhere. One moment we were walking side by side, and the next a huge wall just pops out of nowhere and separated us. I could do nothing... nothing except continue on and hope that we meet up again.

I walked into a corridor and realized that the room was filled with soldiers. They lifted their weapons and pointed it at me, and I knew that my human disguise wasn't going to help me in this situation. Dropping it, I snarled and bared my fangs before leaping into battle, tearing out one of the soldier's throats...

* * *

**Tsume**

I was ramming my shoulder against the steel bars that kept me in this hellhole. Once Kiba and I got separated, I wandered into a room and saw that several wolves were in the room. Except that the wolves weren't alive, and they were stuffed in a position that showed that they were howling. One thing caught my eyes, and it was that all the wolves wore collars...collars similar to Hige. A sudden realization hit my head, and that was when a cage fell from the sky and trapped me. The next thing I knew, I was in this cell. As I continue battering my way out, I can't help but wonder... Was it a mistake to come here? Was it a trap from the start?

* * *

**Toboe**

"Hige!" I shouted as I ran around dead ends, trying to locate him. A bunch of soldiers walked out of the corner of a building and aimed their weapons at me. It was then I knew that they saw me as a wolf. I tried to run away, but one of the weapons blasted me in the back of the head, and I fell to the ground, knocking me out cold.

* * *

**Hige**

** "**Toboe!" I yelled from where I was standing, giving our position away. I stared, terrified at the three soldiers surrounding the young pup who was unconscious on the floor. Blue grabbed my hand and we leaped away. Once we got away from the soldiers, I slumped down onto the floor.

"Hige? What's wrong?" Blue asked me. I didn't respond. "Hige, don't you dare die on me! Don't you dare!" Blue was crying. I opened my eyes and cupped her face in my hand.

"You're such a strong and gentle person" I said to her. She grasped my hand.

"Can you do me a favor, Blue? Can you take this collar off?" I asked her. She immediately sank her fangs into the collar, trying to bite it off but to no avail. After a couple of minutes of tugging and pulling, she sat back panting.

"It's okay Blue" I said.

"No, if this collar is what's hurting you, I'll get it off!" she said resolutely. The shuffling of footsteps caught our attention, and two soldiers appeared. Blue ran at one of them, snarling and attacking. However, the other soldier aimed a pistol at her, and shot, wounding her arm. She grasped her arm in pain as I stood up and ran towards her.

"Blue!" I shouted as I grabbed her hand and lead her away. One of the bullets aimed at Blue was blocked by me, hitting my collar and causing it to fall to the ground. We sprinted away as fast as we can.

* * *

**Kiba**

I was so tired...and my whole body hurt. Numerous wounds were on my body, but I didn't care. I limped up the stairs to where Cheza's scent lead me...dripping blood along the way. On the ground below me, were bodies of at least sixty soldiers all with their throats torn. As I neared the top, I saw a huge door, and walking forward, I pushed it aside. I saw Cheza in a water-orb container, with her arms chained apart.

"Cheza!" I cried as I ran towards her. I reached out to her. "I finally found you..." I whispered. I didn't hear a response.

"What's the matter? Why won't you respond to me?" I shouted.

"Ah, the white wolf..." a voice behind me immediately grabbed my attention. I turned towards a lady wearing golden armor with a long cloak around her shoulder. She had a mask on.

"You are the one chosen by the flower. How beautiful you are..." she said. I snarled at her viciously and ran towards her with the need to bite her throat open.

Suddenly, symbols appeared around me and I felt my strength being reduced. My legs started trembling as I tried to remain standing, but whatever this strange circle is doing to me is preventing me from doing that. I collapsed on the floor, snarling at her. The lady walked past me and to Cheza.

"Come, open your eyes. Open them for my Paradise..."

_Kiba..._ Cheza's voice echoed throughout the air. My eyes widened and my attempt to stand up resumed, but I had no strength left. It was all sapped away... Cheza's container cracked and water started flowing out of it. I snarled again.

"My prayers have been answered...Cheza...we must feast in celebration don't you think?" The lady started laughing maniacally. My consciousness was fading, this circle was sapping every bit of my strength. The last thing I remember before I fell into the darkness was something being tied around my neck, poking into my fur and also something being strapped around my body...

* * *

**Shiroi**

_Kiba..._

I heard that voice somewhere. It sounded so familiar. It was a cry of pain and sadness, a sound of helplessness. I stopped for a moment and glanced in the direction of the voice. Kiba was in trouble, I just know it. Whoever this Cheza person is, I have a feeling that I know her. I sniffed the air again, and I noticed Kurai's scent was disappearing.

No...not disappearing. He was moving somewhere. Then a sudden realization hit me.

_He's moving towards the castle!_ I picked up my pace and started sprinting as fast as I can towards the castle, hoping that I wasn't too late.

* * *

Kiba was situated on a table, a collar of some sort was strapped securely around his neck. Small needles were in the collar as well, puncturing his fur and into his skin. Another harness of some sort was strapped onto his body tightly, more needles were imbedded in the harness. The needles were attached to tubes that drained Kiba's blood into some sort of reactor. The straps around his neck and body were tied down to the table, making movement impossible for him. Not that it mattered much, because the white wolf was still unconscious as a result of the energy circles siphoning his strength. His fur missing patches, covered with his own wounds, the white wolf found solace by sleeping. He didn't know that nobles surrounded the table which he was on.

The doors slammed opened, and all the nobles' attention were brought to the invader. A black wolf glared at the nobles, all of which cowered away in fear as he walked towards Kiba. He walked up to the unconscious wolf and roughly jabbed him in the stomach with his paw. Kiba let out a whine of pain and opened his eyes halfway, only to be faced with red,murderous eyes. Kurai put his paw underneath Kiba's snout, and slowly lifted it up making Kiba face him. Kiba gasped as his breath was cut short by the tightness of the collar around his neck.

"Where is he? Shiroi...I know he's here somewhere" Kurai snarled into Kiba's face. Kiba didn't respond, well more like he couldn't respond. Kurai let go of Kiba's snout, and Kiba's head slammed back onto the table. Kurai put his claws on Kiba's flank, and slowly dragged across, drawing blood. Kiba whimpered in pain, but Kurai wasn't the sympathy type. After a long moment has passed, Kurai grew tired of Kiba's suffering and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"He'll be here...to rescue you," he hissed. "Little does he know, that's what I want him to do." He lifted Kiba's head again, and stared into his eyes. Kiba shivered as Kurai's eyes bore into his very soul. Kurai then walked off while facing Kiba into the darkness, until the only thing Kiba saw was his red eyes that were left staring at him.

_Cheza... Sing for me_ Kiba said before he fell into unconsciousness

Cheza started her song, but it was filled with sadness this time.

* * *

**Shiroi**

I heard someone's voice echo through the air. Someone was singing... but the feeling that was projected was so sad, it caused my heart to ache. It sounded like whoever was singing was in pain... I was nearing Jaguara's Castle now, and I looked through a window with a group of nobles with masks surrounding around a table. With deeper inspection, I noticed that there was a white wolf on the table, tied down securely. The wolf had his eyes closed with multiple wounds on his body.

_Kiba! _I gasped. Redoubling my effort to get to the castle, I jumped through one of the windows, landing inside the keep.

* * *

_Kiba..._

He heard a voice and opened his eyes.

_Goodbye Kiba... I think I'm withering..._

_No...Cheza! _Kiba grit his teeth _Don't!_

He tried to summon his strength to break through his bonds, but to no avail. He laid his head back down on the table in defeat. _Cheza..._ he thought.

Suddenly, he felt the collar around his neck loosen, then thrown off. Then the harness around his body was also thrown off. He opened his eyes and saw Shiroi standing before him, looking more majestic than before. All the nobles were unconscious on the floor.

_He must have bit through them_ Kiba thought. Shiroi's gentle eyes looked into Kiba's, and his eyes and markings started to glow. He touched the tip of his nose to Kiba's body, and Kiba felt energy being returned to him. It felt like he was basking in the moonlight...even his wounds started to heal. Kiba struggled to stand up on shaky legs, and he looked at Shiroi and said, "Thanks." Shiroi nodded at him, then indicated with a flick of his tail that the moonlight reactor above him was going crazy.

Shiroi turned around slowly and sniffed the air. _He's here_ Shiroi thought. _He's so close._

_ "_Wait" Kiba stepped in front of Shiroi. "The other wolf, he has something planned for you...It might be a trap." Shiroi gave him a look that said _I'll handle it_, giving reassurance with his eyes. Shiroi flicked his ears to let Kiba know he should get going. "Be careful" Kiba said warily before giving a howl and jumping ontop of the reactor.

Shiroi bristled and walked towards the scent of the Flower Maiden. If he found her, then Kurai would be there too.

"I won't let you do to them what you did to me, brother" he snarled out loud. His eyes glowed furiously and his markings gleamed as he padded towards the door which the Flower Maiden was. He had enough power to fight back this time...

_I hope that it's enough._

**Shiroi speaks finally :D  
**

**A/N: Hi guys, thanks for reading through this long chapter. Again, please read and review, it'll make me berry happy. Also, just thought that I'd let you know about some background information about Shiroi. You see, 300 years ago when he was caught by Darcia and Kurai, they drained his strength with multiple energy circles and a cursed Moonstone(which is basically Shiroi's kryptonite). The cursed Moonstone was on Shiroi for 300 years, which negated and drained his powers. So right now, he's not even at half his strength yet because to recover all his energy would take years. **


	11. Chapter 10: Forgiveness and Love

"Cheza!" a young woman in a lab coat cried as she ran towards the girl lying in a pile of flowers. The girl struggled to open her eyes, and when she did her rose colored eyes made contact with the woman's blue eyes. She moved her mouth in an attempt to say something, the young woman leaned in to listen.

"Yes...yes I saw it too. No... it wasn't real...Yes they'll come." The woman broke into tears and hugged the girl, the girl smiled weakly. They were interrupted by Jaguara screaming at Darcia.

"Why do you love her and not me?!" she demanded as she took her sword out and ran at Darcia. The two clashed swords, but Jaguara was clearly overpowering Darcia.

"I love you..." she whispered as Darcia staggered on his feet. "It's alright...come to Paradise."

"Stop it!" Darcia shouted as he dropped his sword and fell to his knee. Jaguara snickered.

"That's right...it's poison. Now you will belong to me..." Jaguara said as Darcia fell onto the floor, unconscious. A blur of brown fur ran across and jumped at her, trying to bite at her neck but she dodged it. Hige ran at her again, leaping at her face but she easily sidestepped it.

"Don't get in the way!" Jaguara screamed as she threw her sword at Hige. The sword sunk into Hige's shoulder and he let out a whine of pain, his blood splattered across the grey floor. Cheza, hurt by the sight of wolf's blood focused on the figure that was standing at the doorway behind Jaguara.

"Kiba..." Cheza whispered. All eyes turned towards where Cheza was looking at, to see the white wolf standing. Wounded and exhausted, but still alive.

"What are you doing here?" hissed Jaguara. "Get out!"

"Paradise is ours" said Kiba. "We're taking it back!" And with that, he leaped at Jaguara.

Tsume and Toboe were busy taking the sword out of Hige's body.

"I have to..." whispered Hige as he struggled to stand up, blood dripping from the wound and splattering onto the floor.

"Don't try to move" Toboe said, his voice breaking.

"I promised...to make things right!"

"Hige!" cried Toboe

"That's enough!" Tsume shouted at him.

"I gave...my word!" he said resolutely.

Meanwhile, Kiba was still fighting with Jaguara and when he leaped at her, she waited until he hit the floor. Then when he readied to run at her, she casted an energy circle around him.

"I'll take all of your strength this time!" she screamed. Kiba felt his strength draining, but he stood his ground, trying to walk through the circle.

"How...? That's impossible!" cried Jaguara.

"My my..." a voice said across the room. Jaguara and Kiba's eyes instantly went to the speaker. "If you're going to create an energy circle, at least do it right." All of the sudden, energy circles appeared under all of the wolves in the room. Hige and Toboe dropped to the floor instantly, snarling. Tsume who was desperately struggling to stay standing didn't last long, and he fell to the floor. Kurai stepped into the room with his red eyes flashing. He looked at Kiba and grinned a sadistic smile.

"Looks like one circle won't hold you down," he said. Another circle appeared under Kiba, and despite Kiba's valiant effort, he collapsed onto the floor gasping for air.

"Kurai..." Jaguara said, smiling. "I am glad you decided to join us."

"Shut your mouth, noble" snarled Kurai. "You should have handled this easily, I didn't teach you this spell for it to go to waste." Jaguara flinched at his harsh words, but she was content with him being here. If he hadn't shown up...they might have been able to kill her.

"Now... what shall we do with these poor puppies" Kurai said as he gazed upon the struggling wolves. "I think we should kill their leader to demoralize them" he said as he approached Kiba. who was lying on his side on the ground, panting for breath.

"Leave him alone!" Toboe cried from where he was. Tsume growled at him, but Kurai only laughed. He gripped Kiba's neck with his fangs, preparing to sink his teeth in and rip his throat open. Cheza closed her eyes and streams of tears fell from her face, she was too weak to help him.

"That's enough, brother" came a warning snarl from the other side of the doorway. Kiba opened one eye and saw Shiroi standing with his eyes glowing with rage, along with his markings. He growled at Kurai to get away from the white wolf.

"Hikaru..." Toboe said. "You...can talk?" Shiroi looked at the young pup and smiled his wolfish smile.

"Looks like you've broken my curse, Shiroi" he sneered. "And it took all of my love to give it to you too..." Shiroi didn't replay to his taunt. Instead his eyes laid upon the wolves who were trapped in the energy circles, and he concentrated on them.

All of the energy circles shattered at once, leaving the wolves on the floor panting.

"You're insane" shouted Shiroi. "How can you even think of killing your own kind?"

"My own kind? No, we're of different species than them, brother. We're superior, we're gods!" he shouted. "The strong may kill the weak, that is how life works."

"You're delusional!" snarled Shiroi. "I won't let you kill anymore. I'll stop you right now." With that, he lunged towards Kurai and the two wolves engaged in a vicious fight, snapping their teeths at each other and clawing their flanks. They rolled around the ground, and it seems like Shiroi was coming out on top. Shiroi kicked with his hind legs, separating the two of them and allowing him to breathe.

"You can't beat me, Kurai" hissed Shiroi warningly. "Give up now."

Kurai chuckled before setting his gaze on Shiroi. "It's true I can't beat you, how can I? The moon obviously favors you more. But did you notice the room that you're in right now?" Shiroi stared at Kurai, puzzled.

"Hikaru get away from there!" screamed Kiba. Kurai threw his head back and howled, and suddenly the giant doors in the room slammed closed, locking all the wolves( and humans) inside. The walls of the room began glowing a purple-ish color. Shiroi felt his strength leaving him as his legs trembled with he effort to stay standing. His markings and eyes began to dim, and he began to pant.

"This whole room was designed for you, Shiroi" he explained. "This will be your grave, you won't get out of here alive."

"Cursed Moonstones..." whispered Shiroi weakly. "How...did you...?" Then Shiroi glanced at Jaguara and knew exactly what happened. Kiba telling him that this whole place might be a trap...his premonition was correct.

"You devious bastard..." Shiroi hissed as he lunged at Kurai. Despite the Moonstones affecting him, he wasn't going to just give up like this. Even if the odds are stacked against him, he'll push on. That's how he lived his life. That's how (they) survived for so long. A flurry of blows were exchanged, and even with Shiroi's strength being sapped, he was still able to land bites and scratches on Kurai. But Shiroi was also wounded.

Shiroi stood panting with blood dripping down one of the gashes that Kurai gave him. He glared at Kurai as he watched his brother's eyes glow red. Suddenly, the wounds that Shiroi inflicted on him were gone. He healed them back up.

_"Resorting _to cheap tricks now, huh" Shiroi shook his head in shame. "I thought our parents taught you better than that." Even if Shiroi falls, he wasn't going to let his brother have the satisfaction that he did when he tortured him in Darcia's keep.

Kurai's eyes blazed red. "Don't you ever talk of our parents ever again!" he screamed as he lunged at Shiroi, sinking his fangs into Shiroi's flank. Shiroi yelped in pain and tried to bite Kurai back, but the black wolf was just too strong. Kurai hurled Shiroi into the wall, and Shiroi hit the wall with a sickening crunch. He fell to the floor, blood dripping from his jaws. He was panting heavily now, the Cursed Moonstones were doing their job of draining his energy. His body convulsed and he started coughing up blood.

"Hikaru!" cried Toboe as he struggled to stand up and come to Shiroi's aid. Hige was wounded, Kiba basically had all his energy sapped, only Tsume and Toboe were struggling to get up. Toboe stood up and sprinted to Shiroi's side, snarling warningly at Kurai as he approached.

"No..." whispered Shiroi hoarsely. "Move, he doesn't want you...he wants me."

"Never! I'll never abandon a packmate" Toboe said as he stood his ground and looked at Kurai, who only smiled at him.

"So the young pup wants to die first. I will grant you that wish" Kurai laughed, his eyes glowing red as he approached the quivering pup.

"Please..." begged Shiroi. "Don't..."

"I told you I would kill them, brother. I warned you" hissed Kurai. "I'll start with this one" he opened his mouth, revealing his fangs to Toboe. Tsume growled from where he was trying to stand up.

"Stop!" a girl's voice cried from across the room. Shiroi weakly lifted his head and saw the young girl who smelled of Lunar Flowers staggering over to them. "Please stop..."

Kurai's eyes clouded with confusion for a second. He looked at her defiantly. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled into her face. "If you don't get out of the way, wolves aren't the only thing I'm going to kill."

"Kurai..." she whispered his name. He froze. "Don't you remember me...? Shiroi, do you...remember me?" she said while looking down at Shiroi, then to Kurai.

"Yes..." Shiroi said quietly before coughing up another mouthful of blood. Kurai stared at her in fury. "I don't remember you, and even if I did...I won't stop now!"

"Kurai...it's me..." Cheza whispered. "Please remember. Please remember the past. Remember the adventure with this one. Remember Paradise."

Kurai stood shaking, whether from anger or confusion, Shiroi didn't know.

"How..? I saw you die...I saw it with my own eyes" Kurai's voice was barely audible. Shiroi then noticed a change in Kurai's eyes. His eyes were no longer red, but they have returned to their normal shade of blue. Tears were on his face as he tried to keep his breathing under control.

"This one has been reborn" she said while reaching up with her hand to touch Kurai's head. But he jerked away.

"NO! Don't touch me!" he cried as he turned away from her, leaving her in shock. "I've done so many evil deeds...To get revenge on my brother. But my revenge was based on sheer rage... I tortured my brother and I killed countless people..." Kurai was trembling uncontrollably now. He looked at Shiroi with sad eyes. "I'm sorry Shiroi. I..." He never finished his sentence, but instead he walked away with his tail tucked between his legs in defeat. "There's nowhere left for me to go. I have to continue down this path..."

"Kurai!" Shiroi cried desperately, but his screaming made his wounds worst, as he violently began to shake and convulse. "You don't...have to go down...this road..." Shiroi said weakly, but Kurai didn't hear him. As Kurai walked away from the group, Shiroi saw Jaguara watching him with hateful eyes. She raised her sword and ran at him, intending to catch the black wolf off guard.

"If you're not going to help me, then you're of no use to me!" she screamed as she charged at him. Kurai was totally unprepared for this surprise assault, and as he turned around to face his doom, a blur of white wolf rammed into him and pushed him aside. Shiroi used the last of his strength to push Kurai away from danger. Jaguara's sword pierced right through his body, and Shiroi fell to the floor on his side with blood flowing down his jaws. Kiba then leaped up and bit Jaguara's neck, but the wound wasn't enough to kill her. She stumbled back until her back made contact with Darcia. She turned around.

"Darcia..." she said, smiling at him. He stabbed her right through her body with a sword, and she fell to the floor with a shocked expression on her face. Darcia then turned to Kiba and revealed a black orb object in his hand before walking away.

"Shiroi...SHIROI!" Kurai cried his brother's name out. "Please, no..." Shiroi opened his eyes halfway, but his vision was blurred and he couldn't really tell who the figures were standing beside him.

"Why...why would you do that. Especially after I made you suffer...and tried to kill you. Why Shiroi?" he demanded. Tears streamed down his eyes.

"It's a big brother's duty...to protect his little brother..." Shiroi said, chuckling. His body then convulsed and he coughed more blood up. His body was trembling now. Kiba and Tsume pulled the sword out of Shiroi's body, Shiroi's eyes grimaced in pain and he let out a whine while they did it. Cheza knelt beside him and put her hands on Shiroi's body. She tried healing him, but she was already too weak.

"That's...enough" Shiroi said, pawing Cheza's hands away from him. "I...just need...to rest a while..." and his eyes started to close.

"Hikaru!" Kiba and Toboe shouted. Tsume looked away, trying not to show his despair. Hige was still unconscious on the floor.

"We need to get him out of here" Kurai said. "This place is filled with Cursed Moonstones." He looked around, guilty. "It's interfering with his healing." Kurai then walked over to Hige, and gently touched his nose with Hige's wound, healing it instantly. As he looked around to Shiroi, he noticed a young man carrying him, while talking to the female with the lab coat on. The young wrapped his jacket around Shiroi, trying to keep him warm as Kiba helped Hige to his feet. Kurai followed them in silence.

Once they left the castle, they noticed that the moon was brimming. They gently laid Shiroi on the floor and stepped back, waiting to see what happened. Nothing happened at first.

"Is he...still alive?" asked the young man. "The wound looks really deep...and he already lost a lot of blood while on the way..."

"Hubb, please..." said the woman. Toboe looked at Shiroi worriedly, whining and leaning in to lick his face. Suddenly, Shiroi's markings started to glow and the hole that the sword left started to mend itself back together. It didn't fully heal, the hole was still there but smaller. Kiba leaned in to listen to his breathing.

"He's still alive...barely. We need to get him to a safer place." Kurai looked at his unconscious brother. 300 years ago he reveled in seeing his brother suffer, and the worst part was, he was the one causing the suffering. How could he enjoy the sight of seeing his own brother tortured before his eyes? How could he enjoy the fact that he was the one doing the torturing? He leaned in and whispered in Shiroi's ear.

"I'm so sorry" he said, his voice filled with really meant it this time. Back when they were cubs, he would say sorry without really meaning it. But this time, he was truly sorry. He let his anger and need to vengeance overwhelm him, but yet Shiroi still accepted him. Shiroi never intended to kill him, but Kurai always fought with the intention of ending his life. He looked at the other wolves.

"I... don't know what to say," he whispered to them. Right now, the biggest threat to his brother's safety was himself. "I'm sorry. I...really am." he said to the wolves. They didn't respond, only simply stare at him. There really was no where left for him to go. He would leave this path of vengeance and hate, but what is he going to do after? He began walking away from the group.

"When he wakes up" Kurai said. "Tell him I'll step away from this path. Tell him that please" he said while turning back to look at the wolves. None of them said anything to him, or made eye contact with him. He couldn't blame them, he nearly killed one of their packmates and almost killed them all. But the young pup stood up and said, "I'll tell him." Kurai nodded his gratitude, sparing a glance at his brother's figure on the floor. He walked over, licked him affectionately on the ear before stepping back and walking away. Shiroi's wounds disappeared.

_ I guess this is goodbye_ he thought. _I won't come near you again, brother. I have caused you too much suffering already. I'll walk this mortal plain myself. It's my penance._

As he walked away, he glanced up at the moon. Instead of the moon being the blue,luminous moon he once knew, it was red.


	12. Chapter 11: Memories

**Flashback**(**Shiroi's P.O.V)**

_ A man fell down beside us, which caused us to pause abruptly and look back. The man was bleeding from a gunshot wound, his blood staining the white snow. He was losing a lot of blood, the wound must have been severe. Kurai whimpered beside me, and trotted over to the fallen man, nuzzling him and whining. The man rolled over, lying on his back and looking with pain-stricken eyes at Kurai. Kurai was on the verge of crying, I could see it in his eyes. The man smiled weakly and pat Kurai's head, and Kurai licked his face warmly._

_ "It's too late for me..." he whispered._

_ "No! Don't say that!" cried Kurai as he leaned in to lick the wound. The man stopped him by putting one of his hands over Kurai's eyes. I watched warily, I walked over to him and curled up beside him to provide warmth._

_ "It's too late for me, but you guys can still go on" he stuttered his words. "Go on, she's waiting for you."_

_ "NO, I won't leave you. You're part of our pack..." Kurai shouted at him with tears streaming down his eyes._

_ "Kurai...Shiroi... You guys are such gentle wolves. You never killed despite being hunted, and you always look forward with an optimistic attitude..." he sighed. "Please, keep moving forward. Do it for me... I'll be happy knowing that you two made it to Paradise, because you deserve it." He started coughing up blood and Kurai, alarmed began licking his face. _

_ He began closing his eyes, while Kurai and I shouted at him not to. At last, he stopped responding to us, leaving my brother and I heartbroken at the loss of such a beloved comrade. The last words he said to us was, "I hope we meet again."_

_ "Come...Kurai" I said, struggling to keep my composure. I had to act tough, I had to for my younger brother. I nuzzled his face with mines, reassuring him that I was here with him. Kurai was trembling as we walked away from our deceased friend, following where his hand pointed to before he died._

_ When we saw the Flower Maiden standing upright on the snow, her arms branched out like the branches of trees we immediately ran to her, barking and wagging our tails. She smiled at us, a warm smile as she laid her hands on top of our heads._

_ "You have made it" she said. "This one is glad..." Tears began streaming down her face._

_ "What's wrong?" said Kurai, alarmed. I shook my head, I already knew what was happening but I didn't want to believe it._

_ "This one... will be leaving soon," she said_

_ "Leaving with us to Paradise...right?" said Kurai hopefully. She smiled, a sad smile and shook her head. _

_ "This one must leave to open the gate to Paradise," she explained. Kurai, dismayed began a mournful howl that sent shivers down my spine. He began trembling again._

_ "Why? Why!?" he shouted. "What is Paradise without our friends there? How can we find happiness knowing that none of our comrades made it this far? It's not fair!"_

_ The Flower Maiden cupped Kurai's face with her hand, and planted a kiss on his snout. He stopped crying and trembling, embracing her touch. She looked at me and I stepped forward to nuzzle her face. She embraced us both._

_ "Paradise...is a place where pure-hearted creatures may enjoy solace and comfort," she said. "Perhaps one day, you'll want to help those who seek Paradise, but are unable to do so." _

_ "Kurai...Shiroi..." she whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks. "One day we will meet again. Stay strong, for this one, please."_

_ Her body shook, and dissipated into millions of seed on the ground. We mourned her, our fallen comrade and all the others we met on our journey. Was this how our journey is supposed to end...after years of searching and when we finally found it...but at what price?_

_ We heard a voice in our head, a calming and soothing voice. _

_ "Go on." it said_

_ We saw a bright flash of light in front of us, and we began padding forward. Will Paradise really be a haven for us?_


	13. NEED HELP: Give me your characters

**Hi guys, just wanted to give you a heads up that the story will be ending soon, but do not fret as there will be a sequel. I'm not going to give any spoilers away, but I was just thinking that it would be cool that you(the reader) put your own characters into my story. Just leave a review or a PM describing your character to me if you would like it to be in the sequel. It would be nice if you could follow this format.**

**Name:**

**Appearance:**

**Special features:(Ex. White fur at the tip of the tail, etc...)**

**Race: (For this, you can either be a human or a wolf)**

**Gender:**

**I will be asking for characters at the end of the story as well, but you can PM/leave a review now if you wish. Also, when I post the first chapter of the sequel, a question will be asked(I don't want to ask it now as it will spoil the ending of this story).**

** Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain.  
**

**A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't posted a new chapter in a few days...I've been busy with school and I just didn't feel motivated enough to start it. Well, here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy, I accidentally wiped it two times**

_ It hurts..._

_ Not just from the outside, inside too..._

_What is this feeling of helplessness...Why do I feel so broken?_

_Was it worth it to sacrifice our happiness...?_

_Was..._

_Coming here..._

_A sin that I've committed..._

_Kurai...?_

* * *

Shiroi could feel movement from underneath him, and it took him a while to figure out with his fatigued mind that someone was carrying him. All four of his legs were off the ground, and his uneven breathing caused the wound in his body to hurt more. He felt something dripping from his stomach area and onto the ground. He tried to pry his eyes open to see, but all he saw were fuzzy images of the ground moving below him. He didn't have the strength to make a sound, so he didn't mind the fact that he was being carried. He heard a _thud_ nearby and then someone shouting "Hige!". Whoever was carrying him stopped, turned around and walked towards the voice who was frantically calling Hige's name out. Shiroi tried to lift his head to see what was going on, but that was a huge mistake.

Once he lifted his head and opened his eyes, his vision was swarmed with black spots and he felt extremely light headed. The uneven shift in weight as he lifted his head up caused him to roll off whoever was carrying him, and he hit the floor hard. The impact caused the wound in his stomach to reopen and he vomited blood onto the sand. Only then did he realize they were in a desert.

As he laid there shivering and shaking, he heard another voice shout his name out. He felt someone press against his flank, trying to provide warmth, and another licking him trying to get his body temperature to remain stable. Blood flowed from where the open wound was, onto the sand and staining it.

"Hige!" a female voice shouted as it ran towards them. Shiroi caught the scent of the new arrival, and he noticed it was the dark blue wolf that he met in the city. The female wolf ran to Hige, licking him with affection and nuzzling him. Then she caught the scent of fresh blood and turned to Shiroi, gasping in surprise. She saw that Shiroi's white fur coat was coated in wounds and his own blood, and he was missing patches of fur from around his body. Blood flecked his muzzle, and his half opened eyes were unfocused.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly as she helped Hige up, and limping over to Shiroi.

"There was a huge fight..." he heard Kiba explain to her. He heard a car pull up as his eyes began closing. Someone put something around him...something soft and warm. The last thing he remembered before passing out was being lifted up into the vehicle, and set gently in the back of the car.

* * *

**Kurai**

I walked out of the city, leaving my wounded brother to be tended by his pack. _His pack..._ I thought. He had a pack that cared for him now...why do I feel so sad? It's my fault that Shiroi almost died, twice... I deserve this, if I'm with him I'll only end up hurting him more. How could I try and kill my own brother, for some stupid reason... was I that desperate?

I stopped walking. My head was ringing.

_What happened to me..?_ My memories flooded back to when Shiroi was chained on the table, and I was about to rip his throat open as he lay helpless. I shuddered at the thought of that. I remembered his painful screams and whines, begging me to stop whatever I was doing. Why couldn't I hear his cries for help? Tears streamed down my eyes, dripping onto the earth which caused flowers to sprout out of the ground. I regretted everything at this point. I regretted walking out of Paradise, and I regret not following Shiroi when he asked me to help him. Paradise doesn't have need of wolves like me, I'll only end up corrupting it. I felt as if my brother didn't need me anymore, but if he didn't need me, why did he save me?

Why did he look at me with sad eyes, eyes that asked me not to go but to stay with him? He had fear in his eyes, but was it fear of me, or fear that I would be walking down the wrong path?

I smelled something then. A human in a dark cloak. I knew at once that it was Darcia, but something has changed about him. I couldn't read his mind when I looked at him, he looked broken. I remembered that I was the one who cursed his lover with Paradise Sickness, could it be that he's seeking revenge?

I looked closer and notice that he plucked a piece of Cursed Moonstone from the ground, which probably fell down when Jaguara's castle collapsed. I heard the _click_ of a revolver before he walked away. He glanced behind him before he did, and I saw that his wolf's eye was more wild than usual.

_Something's not right_ I thought. _Should I follow him?_ As he walked further away from the destroyed castle, I kept my distance while trailing him. He ventured into a desert of some sort, which made it extremely hard for me to see. How was he even human? A human would have fainted by the extremity of the heat and exhaustion. A sudden gust storm blocked my vision, forcing me to close my eyes. When I opened them again, Darcia was gone.

* * *

Shiroi opened his eyes slowly, and the rest thing he saw was an old man lying next to him. Shiroi could sense a feeling of hostility and hatred around him, and his eyes flickered around wildly while he attempted to snarl, but all he could manage was a painful whine. He felt a gentle hand rest on his head, and with great effort, lifted his head to see who it was. Cheza was staring at him with a warm and kind smile.

"It's okay" a voice said. He looked over at the speaker, it was Toboe. "He's not going to hurt you." Shiroi laid his head down on Cheza's lap, and then his eyes gazed upon everyone in the vehicle. He saw Blue with Hige lying side by side, Kiba near Cheza and Toboe and Tsume looking at him. He caught the scent of two humans in the front of the vehicle, one that carried him out of the castle, and the other who was with Blue back in the city. He closed his eyes, and his markings began to glow in an attempt to heal himself. He healed some of his wounds, knitted together the wound around his stomach but he didn't have enough energy to complete the process. He opened his eyes again.

"I suppose you have questions for me" he whispered hoarsely. Everyone jumped up at the sound of his voice, they weren't used to hearing him talk. His voice brought forth the image of a still and peaceful ocean.

"Is he up?" one of the humans at the front asked. Kiba replied "Yeah."

"That's good" said the female. "We weren't sure that he was going to make it." Shiroi's tired eyes flickered from Kiba,Tsume and to Toboe. Kiba broke the silence.

"Who are you?" he asked. The two white wolves looked at each other in the eye.

Shiroi looked at Cheza, who nodded at him. "My name...is Shiroi Hikaru" he answered. "My brother and I were the first wolves to reach Paradise."

Toboe's eyes flicked up and his eyes shone with excitement. "What's Paradise like, Hikaru?" Kiba gave him a glare, and he cowered back.

"Why did you come here and who the hell is that Kurai person?" demanded Tsume

Shiroi struggled to stand up, wincing in pain. He sat on his haunches and looked at Tsume.

"Legends say that only wolves are able to find Paradise and that is because wolves were the first animals to find Paradise in the first place." He struggled to catch his breath, just talking took a lot out of him.

"I've seen this world reborn countless times, and Kiba's attempt to make it to Paradise. However, another wolf has always stopped Kiba... a purple wolf."

"A purple wolf?" Kiba asked.

"Yes, every time you have made it to the Gates but your wounds caused you to fall before reaching it." Shiroi explained.

"That doesn't answer my question" Tsume growled.

Shiroi looked down. "I have come to the mortal plain because I wanted to assist Kiba and his pack in making it to Paradise."

"How exactly old are you?" asked Blue from where she was lying with Hige.

"I don't remember my age, but I've been walking the mortal plains for 1300 years" Shiroi replied.

"1300 years? Holy crap, you're OLD!" Toboe shouted. Shiroi's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Okay," replied Tsume. "If you're so powerful and wise, how did you end up being captured in Darcia's Keep?"

Shiroi winced, almost as if he was stabbed(again). He looked at all of them with pain in his eyes.

"When I first came into this world, everything was peaceful. As time went by, humans and animals learned to cooperate with each other. However, human's rise in technology also lead to the decline in relationships with animals. I think about...400 years ago, rumors were being spread that a black wolf was attacking humans, which caused mass hysteria. Shortly after, a noble by the name of Darcia The First claimed he has captured the black wolf. I began to investigate in this matter by trailing Darcia. I trailed him for days... until I confronted him. I needed to know if the black wolf was my brother, who trailed me from Paradise and if Darcia had harmed in any way."

Shiroi's eyes fell to his paws.

"It was all a trap to capture me. As soon as I approached Darcia, energy circles appeared before me. I tried to break them...but Kurai managed to find an effective way to seal my powers. The Cursed Moonstones are the only known gems that reflect a moon's light. If Kurai infused his blood with it, it would negate my powers. He attacked me then, breaking my leg so I couldn't run. I was thrown into the dungeon, chained to the table and tortured for three hundred years."

Shiroi shuddered as he remembered the pain and suffering. He felt Cheza place her hand on his back, in a comforting gesture. She also had tears in her eyes.

"Kurai made a vow with Darcia that he would not kill me unless the keep collapsed. Kurai made me watch as people who tried to rescue me fell to the same fate. At this point I wanted to die. I wanted him to kill me, but he wouldn't." He was panting heavily now with the effort to speak, as well as the painful memories from the past. "I just wanted it to end."

Shiroi looked at the group and he laid his head on his paws. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" asked Kiba.

"I was the reason why Kurai came into the world in the first place. I dragged you all into this"

Shiroi paused for a moment.

"You should have left me to die. He would have left you guys alone."

"What are you talking about?" Toboe cried. "None of this is your fault, you just wanted to help!"

"If I didn't come here, Kurai would have never lost his way. I've corrupted him..."

"Stop it" Tsume snarled warningly.

"I brought so much suffering and pa-"

"That's enough" Kiba's voice thundered over Shiroi's. All eyes laid upon him.

"What's in the past is in the past" he said.

"It's not your fault you had a psychotic brother" Hige added in.

"You've also saved us multiple times...I know that you saved Kiba when he was captured" Blue said.

Shiroi looked at them gratefully. This was his pack...kind and forgiving. "Thank you..." he whispered. He then looked over at Cheza and his blue eyes filled with tears. "It's been so long..."

Cheza smiled at him "This one told you that we would meet again."

"But Kurai..." started Shiroi. Cheza silenced him by putting her hand on his head.

"Do not blame yourself" Cheza said. "This one knows." She smiled with warmth. Shiroi looked at her, before laying his head into her lap, falling asleep to the soothing touch of the person he trusted and loved with all his heart.

* * *

The car which they were in suddenly took a wild turn as a result of the frozen path they were driving on, and Hubb struggled to keep the vehicle from falling off the edge of a nearby cliff. The vehicle tipped over onto its side, leaving its passenger in a daze. Kiba and Tsume got out of the vehicle first carrying Shiroi, followed by Toboe and Blue and Hige carrying the unconscious Quent out. Hubb got out of the car, and Cher who was holding Cheza handed her to Hubb.

"Here Hubb, take her" said Cher as she handed Cheza to Hubb, then struggled to get out of the car herself. Hubb took Cheza and started walking away from the car, not noticing the ground below crack beneath the vehicle. The ground shook, and due to the vehicle's weight near the edge of the cliff, caused the earth below to collapse. Cher watched in horror as she fell, watching Hubb's back as he stopped and turned around. The vehicle fell hundreds of feet down, crashing into nearby rocks and stone platforms in no particular pattern, before landing on the ground beside a lake. Hubb stared wide-eyed at what just happened, trying to comprehend it.

"Cher!" he screamed

* * *

"Cher..." Hubb cried as he shook her limp body. "Cher!"

He felt a warm hand cup his face. "I can hear you...You've become...such a wonderful man..." Cher whispered.

"Yeah...it's because I have you to look out for now...Let's start over, we can begin from scratch. And this time, we'll have a house full of kids. We'll make bread every morning and then we'll get a bird, a white one. It'll be everything we ever wanted, it'll work this time..." Cher began closing her eyes. "Cher...Cher!" Hubb cried.

"Cher!" he shouted as he buried his face into her limp body, crying her name out. They heard a shuffling of movement, and everyone except Hubb looked up to see Shiroi limping heavily towards them. He limped towards the body of Cher, and slowly touched his nose to her face. His markings began to glow...then all of the sudden, they immediately dimmed. Shiroi collapsed onto the floor panting heavily with slaver dripping from his mouth. He reached forward with his snout again, and Kiba immediately understood what he was doing.

"Tsume! Get him away!" he commanded as he and Tsume started dragging Shiroi away from Cher's body, with Shiroi digging his claws into the sand to resist it.

"_No..."_ Shiroi whispered hoarsely. _"I...I can still..." _He closed his eyes and let tears streak down his muzzle. _I want to save her..._ he thought as they pulled him away.

* * *

Hubb laid Cher to rest in a nearby lake. She looked so serene with her hands onto of each other...Hubb felt broken as he watched her sink to the bottom of the lake. After she was out of sight, he went over to the fallen vehicle and attempted to push it over. He couldn't manage to make it budge, until Kiba,Tsume and Toboe came over and helped him. The vehicle crashed back onto all fours, sending sand everywhere.

"I don't know how far I can go...or if I can make it" Hubb said to Kiba. "But I'll make sure you get there." Hige and Blue helped Quent into the vehicle, and Kiba who was holding Cheza hopped in as well. Hubb's eyes fell upon Shiroi, who was curled up in a ball with his head on top of his paws. He was looking away from then and at the pool which Cher's body was laid to rest. He looked so broken and depressed, Hubb could see that there were streaks of glimmer below his eyes.

Hubb walked over to Shiroi and picked the unsuspecting wolf up. Shiroi, surprised, started yelping and whining and then eventually went limp. Hubb was surprised at how light the wolf was, he could almost lift him up with one arm. Hubb started walking back towards the vehicle. Shiroi raised his head and looked at Hubb in his eyes, his blue eyes filled with sadness.

"Don't you...despise me?" asked Shiroi. Hubb stopped in his tracks and stared at the white wolf.

"Why would I?" he questioned.

"I...could have saved her..." Shiroi began but Hubb just chuckled sadly.

"It's not your fault. You tried to save her even though you knew you couldn't" he looked at Shiroi with an intense gaze. "I think I understand you...you take everybody's burdens and make it your own. You take blame for everything you can't do."

Shiroi paused and stared at Hubb. He didn't know that humans could relate to his emotions, but something about this human made him feel comfortable. _If only every human can be like this..._ he thought.

"I..." Shiroi started but Hubb interrupted him.

"Thank you for trying...but in the end it's not your fault. In the end, the one suffering the most is you" stated Hubb as he pat Shiroi on the head making Shiroi whine softly. Shiroi raised his head and rested it on Hubb's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry for your lost..." Shiroi whispered into Hubb's ears before drifting off into unconsciousness. Hubb laid Shiroi next to Cheza and Kiba, before getting into the driver's seat and starting the engine.

* * *

"Help him!" a voice shouted and Shiroi's eyes snapped open. Quent's eyes were rolled back and it looked like he was having a severe asthma attack.

"Stop the car! The old man's dying!" Hige yelled to Hubb. Hubb immediately stopped the car, got out and ran into the truck. He jumped into the back and put his ears on Quent's chest.

"Quent!" he said and began a standard CPR procedure.

"What's happening?" Kiba asked as the others joined them.

"It could be severe dehydration or he's convulsing due to internal bleeding" explained Hubb as sweat beads formed across his brow.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Kiba worriedly.

"I don't even know what the hell I'm doing" replid Hubb. They heard footsteps and saw Cheza get into the back of the car and began mouth-to-mouth, providing air for Quent. Hubb repeated his pressure on Quent's chest, and soon Quent began coughing violently. His condition was stable after a while, and Blue sighed. Shiroi listened to the breathing of the old man, before closing his eyes once more.

* * *

Shiroi felt himself being lifted from the trunk and opened his eyes slowly. He saw the sandy ground, then the back of the grey wolf who was carrying him.

"_Tsume.._" he whispered weakly before drifting off again. The wolves walked away from the broken vehicle, continuing on to whatever awaited them.

* * *

Shiroi stirred, then opened his eyes. He noticed a blanket covering him, and Kiba,Tsume,Hige,Hubb and Blue surrounding him. He got to his feet slowly, the rest he had recovered some of his stamina and the wound he suffered from Jaguara was almost gone. He looked at them, and a sudden realization came upon him.

"Where's Toboe?" he asked

Tsume looked at him. "The runt ran off to find the old man. We were waiting for you to wake up."

A vision popped itself into Shiroi's mind...a purple wolf standing before a great wall of fire that befell a town. A purple wolf with two mismatching eyes...a blue eye similar to a human and a topaz wild eye...

_Darcia..._ Shiroi thought. He sprinted off, leaving the other wolves shouting his name. Something was about to happen and he didn't like what he was feeling...

* * *

Toboe and Quent stopped in their tracks. Right in front of them was Darcia, walking forward to them with a trail of blood behind him. Toboe snarled at him.

"It was you..." whispered Quent as he reached for his rifle.

"Unclean creature, you are not permitted to enter this land..." Darcia directed at Quent. "You can no further, I will not allow it."

"I saw that eye...what the hell are you? A human? Or are you a wolf?" asked Quent.

"I am neither man nor beast" replied Darcia.

"Well whatever you are...I know a wolf's eye when I see it. When a human loses something precious to them...they lose their soul along with it. You don't know what it feels like"

"Indeed I do." replied Darcia

"You stop at nothing to take revenge from the person who took it from you without mercy..." replied Quent

"Yes, and without forgiveness" Darcia whipped open his cloak and pulled out a pistol. In the split second before Quent and Darcia fired at each other, Toboe leaped at Darcia and Quent opened fire.

Quent's bullet hit Toboe right in the stomach, and Toboe fell to the floor with blood oozing out of his wound. Quent, shocked and confused dropped his rifle. He staggered over to Toboe's body, feeling a sense of grief for the young wolf. He stooped down to Toboe, quivering. Darcia aimed his pistol at Quent, but just as he was about to fire, Toboe made a valiant attempt and leaped at Darcia's hand causing him to miss the shot. Toboe's fang buried into Darcia's hand but Darcia felt no pain. He threw Toboe away causing the wolf to hit the ground painfully, smearing his blood on it. Quent took his pistol out and shot Darcia in the shoulder.

"You cannot hurt me...Jaguara's poison is slowly eating me alive" he stated. "Foolish creatures, your kind started out as wolves but you turned into humans and were driven from Paradise. And now, you cannot return to your original form." And with that, he opened fire on Quent.

* * *

Shiroi ran as fast as he could, trying to trail Toboe's scent. He heard the gunshot crackled across the air, and doubled his effort. As he ran, the smell of blood made his own blood run cold.

_Toboe...!_

He darted past the gust that scurred his vision, and saw Toboe with wounds all over his body leaning on Quent's arm. The old man was also wounded by a bullet in the chest and shoulder. Shiroi ran over to Toboe, hoping he wasn't too late.

"Toboe!" he shouted at the young pup. "Toboe, please open your eyes!"

Toboe slowly opened his eyes and looked at Shiroi. "_Hikaru..._" he croaked.

"Don't talk Toboe, I'll heal you right now" Shiroi said as he pushed his snout into Toboe's flank.

"_I..wanted all of us...to go to Paradise..." _Toboe whispered to him.

"We will" promised Shiroi. "After I heal you, I'll heal the old man and we'll go back on our journey. Please hang on, Toboe..." Shiroi's markings began to glow, but he heard the _click_ of a revolver, and before he could even turn around, he was shot. Normally, a bullet wouldn't do severe damage to him, but for some reason once he felt this particular object enter his body, he screamed in pain and fell to the floor instantly. He started convulsing and his eyes rolled up into their sockets. Veins started appearing on his body and face. He dropped, started shaking uncontrollably on the sandy ground.

"I'm glad that you've decided to join us..." said Darcia as he stepped into view.

"_Hikaru..._" whispered Toboe weakly from where he laid.

"The wolf that made it to Paradise...I'll use you to enter Paradise..." Darcia leaned down and flung Shiroi over his shoulder.

_"Stop..." _Toboe whimpered. "_What...are you going...to do...with him_?"

"Paradise took the one I love away...so I'll take one of theirs away..." replied Darcia as he walked off holding Shiroi.

_Toboe... _Shiroi thought. Without treatment, the pup wouldn't last. _No...! _He wanted to get away from Darcia, to at least fight him but his body wouldn't respond.

"W-what..did you do to me..." Shiroi tried to ask but what came out was a bunch of gurgling sounds. His eyes drooped, and his body went limp. Darcia noticed this and smirked.

"What I shot you with was a shard of the stones I found inside Jaguara's keep. It looks like they have a huge effect on you." Darcia laughed maniacally as they walked away from Quent and Toboe. Toboe's eyes began closing and he drew his last breath.

_Toboe...I'm sorry..._

* * *

Kurai's ears perked up as he heard the sound of a gun firing. He began walking towards the sound, although he was still far off. He smelled blood and the scent of gunpowder. He heard two gunshots, then nothing. There were two blood scent, one was a wolf and one was a human. Suddenly, he heard a third gunshot and Shiroi's scream pierced through the air. Panicking, he started sprinting as fast as he can towards where he heard Shiroi's scream. He smelled Shiroi's blood, but it smelled different...

_Shiroi! _he thought. He heard Shiroi's thoughts echo through the air.

_Toboe...I'm sorry..._

He ran as fast as he can and came upon a wolf with an open wound on his back, and an old man who was shot in the chest. He padded over to them slowly, and he noticed that the wolf was Toboe. The young pup's head laid on the arm of the old man and Kurai cringed a little when he saw that the pup's body was limp and lifeless. Blood droplets caught his attention, and he traced it as Shiroi's blood. He walked over to the old man and noticed that he was still barely alive. The two made eye contact, and Kurai felt sympathy for the old man. Quent raised his arm weakly and pointed to a location.

"He went that way..." Quent whispered. "Go now..." His arm dropped. Kurai nodded his thanks to Quent, knowing that he couldn't save him because the old man was on the verge of death already, ran off in search of Darcia.

_Please be okay_ thought Kurai as he ran as fast as he can, trying to catch up to Darcia. Whatever Darcia was planning to do with Shiroi, it wouldn't end well. Kurai threw his head back and howled sadly, mourning the death of the young pup and the old man. Most of all, he howled to let his brother know he was coming.


End file.
